We are fighting crime across America. For more information about our work in your state use the drop down menu below.

2007 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS is a national bipartisan anti-crime group led by 3,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and victims of violence. As leaders on the front-line in the battle against crime, our mission is to take a hard-nosed look at the research about what works to keep kids from becoming criminals. Research and experience show that targeted investments in quality programs that give kids a good start in life will prevent children from engaging in later crime and violence. These investments include quality early education and care, child abuse and neglect prevention, after-school programs, and programs that help troubled kids get back on track.

Government's most fundamental responsibility is to protect public safety. Our nation is far short of the investment needed to keep kids from becoming criminals. This significant funding shortfall is our nation's crime-prevention gap, leaving every American at needless risk of becoming a victim. As a first step toward closing this gap, Congress should:

I) Expand and Improve Quality Early Childhood Care and Education

Quality early childhood care and education programs are proven to help children start school ready to learn and to cut later crime and violence. However, due to inadequate funding, only about half of eligible three- and four-year-olds can participate in Head Start, fewer than 5% of eligible infants and toddlers are served by Early Head Start and only one in seven eligible children receives Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) subsidies. Congress should:

• Reauthorize and increase funding for Head Start and Early Head Start so that these high-quality programs can be even better and can serve more eligible children. Funding is needed to provide access for all poor three-and four-year-olds whose parents want them to participate in Head Start and to serve more infants and toddlers in Early Head Start. Funding is also needed to strengthen the quality of Head Start through research proven approaches like increasing teacher qualifications (50% BA degree lead teachers in five years).


• Significantly increase discretionary funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and double the percentage of CCDBG funds set aside for quality improvement from 4% to 8%. CCDBG provides vouchers to eligible low-income, working families to use for any licensed child care provider or after-school program.

II) Expand Efforts to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect

Each year, more than 1,400 children die from abuse or neglect. Children who survive abuse or neglect carry the scars for life and have an increased risk of becoming criminals. Fortunately, quality programs like home visiting prevent abuse and neglect. Congress should:

• Enact and fund The Education Begins At Home Act (S.667/H.R. 2343) to expand and improve evidence-based home visiting programs for at-risk families.


• Appropriate $2.8 billion for the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), restoring it to its previously authorized level. SSBG is one of the federal government's largest supports for child welfare services, including child abuse and neglect prevention, child care, and other critical crime-prevention investments.


• Appropriate $200 million (the authorized level) for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to improve state child protective services and community-based prevention services.


• Appropriate $545 million (the combined mandatory and discretionary authorization level) for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program to help communities run parenting-education programs, family-strengthening services for troubled families, adoption services, and other child abuse prevention programs.



III) Expand and Improve After-School Programs

Quality after-school programs that connect children to caring adults and provide constructive activities during the peak hours of juvenile crime are among our most powerful tools for preventing crime. However, funding for after-school programs is so limited that more than 14 million children and teens are unsupervised in the after-school hours. Congress should:

• Reathorize and substantially increase funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers to improve quality and expand access to after-school programs during the "prime time for juvenile crime" from 3 to 6 PM. In particular, reauthorization should address the largely unmet after-school needs of middle and high school youth.

IV) Help Troubled Kids Get Back on Track

When children are disruptive and troubled, it is a warning signal that it is time to provide interventions such as social skills training, counseling or other help for children and their families that can lead children away from a life of crime. With research-based interventions, schools and communities can identify warning signals and respond effectively. Congress should:


• Reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and ensure adequate funding to serve uninsured kids in low and moderate-income families. Also, Congress should encourage states to expand coverage for mental health services that help troubled kids get back on track.


• Enact bullying prevention legislation to help schools implement evidence-based solutions like the Olweus bullying-prevention program.


• Enact and fund legislation to help states and localities to develop and implement strategic juvenile offender reentry plans, similar to the 109th Congress's Second Chance Act. State and localities need comprehensive efforts to enable ex-offenders-including juvenile ex-offenders-to successfully reenter their communities. The services supported under such legislation could include family reunification, job training, education, housing, and substance abuse and mental health services.


• Reauthorize Title II Formula Grants and restore their funding to at least the previous level of almost $90 million. These grants help state and local jurisdictions implement comprehensive state juvenile justice plans based on detailed studies of needs in their area. Reauthorization legislation should direct federal funds toward proven, effective intervention approaches.


• Restore the Title V Community Prevention Grants to the previous level of $95 million to support prevention activities like early childhood development, in-home parent coaching, after-school activities, mentoring, and tutoring, as well as drop-out, gang, and substance abuse prevention.


• Restore the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) to the previous level of $250 million to help reduce recidivism and turn adjudicated youth away from further crime.


• Ensure that any legislation to address gang violence includes help for communities to implement comprehensive, coordinated "carrot and stick" responses such as Boston's "Operation Ceasefire". These evidence-based efforts bring together law enforcement, community leaders and youth service agencies to track down gang members and high-risk kids, provide close supervision, ensure that any future gang violence is met with swift consequences, and link kids to community services.

For more information on the programs or research described in this document, please visit our Web site at www.fightcrime.org or contact us at (202) 776-0027.