Tim Scott: “From the outset of this discussion, I have said that Congress has a decision to make in fighting youth violence, and…”

“From the outset of this discussion, I have said that Congress has a decision to make in fighting youth violence, and that is we can either play politics or we can reduce juvenile crime. H.R. 1818, I am happy to say, reflects a bipartisan desire not to play politics by codifying sound bites, instead it reflects a bipartisan commitment to reducing crime by funding proven crime prevention programs. Mr. Speaker, we know that prevention programs work. We know that they often save more money than they cost. Head Start, for example, saves money by reducing the need for remedial education, welfare; in crime, Job Corps saves money by increasing employment and reducing crime; drug rehabilitation programs have been shown to save $7 to $10 for every dollar put in the program by reducing crime in health care expenses. This bill encourages communities to review the available research, to develop a crime prevention plan and to fund these prevention programs, programs that will help communities in their fight against crime and programs that are cost effective.”