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PRESIDENT CLINTON: WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
TO COMBAT YOUTH VIOLENCE
October 19, 1999
At a youth violence conference at the Capitol today, President Clinton
will speak with over 350 teen leaders from around the country about key
priorities for the nation's future. First, President Clinton will urge
Congress to pass a budget that invests in young people and makes
education our first priority. Second, the President will release the
second Annual Report on School Safety and announce that the Justice
Department, in partnership with MTV, will distribute multimedia kits to
prevent youth violence. Finally, President Clinton will call on
Congress to enact common-sense gun laws and long-overdue hate crimes
legislation.
DEMANDING A BUDGET THAT INVESTS IN AMERICA'S FUTURE
Today, President Clinton will call on Congress to pass a budget
that makes education America's number one priority. He will demand a
budget that reduces class sizes and funds other critical education
initiatives, puts up to 50,000 more community police on the streets,
protects the environment, and saves Social Security while paying down
the debt. He will call on Congress to make the tough choices to
accomplish all of this while maintaining our fiscal discipline,
strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and paying down the debt.
UNVEILING NEW TOOLS TO PREVENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Second Annual Report on School Safety. On Sunday, the FBI released
new statistics for 1998 showing that serious crime dropped for the
seventh year in a row, the longest continuous decline in nearly 40
years. It also showed that the murder rate reached its lowest point in
31 years. Building on that good news, the President today will release
the findings of the second Annual Report on School Safety - a report
that gives parents, principals, youth, and policymakers a snapshot of
school crime, as well as information on practical steps they can take to
make schools safer. Key findings on school crime include:
While homicides in school remain extremely rare, multiple victim
school homicides have increased. Less than one percent of the total
number of children nationwide who were murdered or committed suicide
were killed at school. And the number of school-associated violent
death incidents decreased from 55 in the 1992-93 school year to 46 in
the 1997-98 school year. However, the number of multiple victim
homicide events has steadily increased from zero in 1993-94 school
year to five in the last school year.
Overall crime rates are down at school and away from school. The
overall school crime rate declined from 155 school-related crimes for
every 1,000 students ages 12 to 18 in 1993, to about 102 crimes in
1997. Between 1993 and 1997, crime victimization rates outside of
school declined from 139 crimes for every 1,000 students to 117
crimes.
Most school crime is not serious violent crime. Serious violent
crime at schools comprises about ten percent of all school crime, and
has continued to decline. About 90 percent of all injuries at school
were not the result of violence, but were unintentional (e.g.,
through falls, sports). Property crimes constitute the majority of
school crime: in 1997, thefts accounted for 61 percent of all crime
committed against students.
Fewer students are carrying weapons to school and getting into
fights. Between 1993 and 1997, there was a decrease in the
percentage of high school students -- across sex, grade, and ethnic
subgroups -- who carried a weapon on school property, as well as a
decline in the percentage of students who got in physical fights on
school property. The number of students expelled for bringing a gun
to school decreased from 5,724 in the 1996-97 school year to 3,930 in
the 1997-98 school year.
Minority students and younger students feel less safe at school
than others. Black and Hispanic 4th-grade students were more likely
to report feeling "very unsafe" at school than white students (9
percent and 6 percent, respectively, compared to 2 percent of white
students). Notably, 12th grade students of any race were less likely
than 4th or 8th grade students to report feeling "very unsafe" at
school.
Providing resources and solutions for young people in partnership
with MTV. Today the President will also announce that the Justice
Department -- in partnership with MTV and the Department of Education --
will send out 200,000 copies of an enhanced CD with an interactive
conflict resolution program, and a Youth Action Guide focused on
mentoring and other steps young people can take to prevent youth
violence. The guides and CDs will be sent to youth organizations such
as after school programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, juvenile justice and law
enforcement agencies as part of MTV's year-long anti-violence campaign.
First announced at the White House School Safety Conference last year,
the MTV campaign has been educating young people on youth violence
issues and linking them to national anti-violence resources.
CALLING ON CONGRESS TO FINISH THE JOB ON GUNS AND HATE CRIMES
Enacting common sense gun legislation. Six months after the
tragedy at Columbine High School, the President will call on the
Republican leadership now to do its part to reduce youth violence by
passing common sense gun legislation. The President will challenge the
Congress to finish its work and quickly pass a balanced, bipartisan
juvenile crime bill that includes strong gun measures that would: close
the gun show loophole; require child safety locks for handguns; ban the
importation of large capacity ammunition clips; and bar violent
juveniles from owning guns for life.
Passing an expanded Federal hate crimes law. The President will
also urge Congress to pass the bipartisan Hate Crimes Prevention Act of
1999. This legislation, if enacted, would strengthen current law by
making it easier to prosecute crimes based on race, color, religion and
national origin and by expanding coverage to include crimes based on
sexual orientation, gender and disability.