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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release June 25, 1998

                    VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCES 
                TEXAS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE $14 MILLION 
                    FOR JUVENILE CRIME ENFORCEMENT

             Also Announces $212,984 For City of Houston 
                       Mayor's Anti-Gang Office

Washington, DC -- Discussing successful strategies to prevent youth crime and delinquency, Vice President Gore said today that Texas is eligible to receive $14 million to boost law enforcement's ability to hold juveniles accountable for their crimes.

Texas, the Vice President said, can receive $14 million from the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant Program, which provides funds for juvenile crime enforcement resources such as: hiring more prosecutors; funding gun and drug courts; and, building juvenile detention or correctional facilities.

"To reduce juvenile crime in Texas and across America, we must have a balanced approach -- one that includes tough enforcement measures to hold children accountable as well as smart, targeted, prevention and intervention measures to help children get back on, or stay on, the track to success," he said.

"As part of our partnership to create safe streets and communities in Texas," the Vice President added, "I am pleased to announce this grant that will provide the tools necessary to reduce juvenile crime."

The Vice President also announced that the City of Houston's Mayor's Anti-Gang Office will receive $212,984 for a Youth Focused Community Policing project in Houston. The project will help Houston's police and its youth-serving agencies develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce juvenile crime. The money is being awarded by the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

At a town hall meeting to discuss how to increase accountability of juvenile criminals and to improve crime prevention efforts in Houston's metropolitan area, the Vice President, Rep. Nick Lampson, and other Houston-area elected officials discussed ways that communities can work together to prevent juvenile crime.

He also highlighted several of Texas' juvenile crime prevention programs, including:

The Houston Police Department's Explorers Program, which mentors youth who are interested in careers in law enforcement or the judicial system.

The Police Activities League (PAL), which gives young people the chance to build relationships with police officers through educational, social, athletic, and cultural programs and activities.

Project 75216, which targets the Dallas ZIP code with the highest number of children referred to juvenile probation, funding over 11 programs including: after-school tutoring; counseling; computer classes; and an athletic league.

The Boys and Girls Clubs' Teen Court, which teaches children about the judicial process and works to enhance respect for the judicial system and allow juvenile defendants who successfully complete a sentence to keep their record clean.

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