Arkansas Law Enforcement Leaders Back Child Tax Credit To Cut Crime
Aug 25th 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 25, 2010
Contact: Ted Eismeier, ted@fightcrime.org
Office: (202) 464-5350 Cell: (315) 335-9222
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Aug. 25, 2010)--Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay and England Chief of Police Herman Hutton are calling for the extension of federal child tax credits for working families struggling in today's financial climate as an effective way to prevent future crime. At a news conference, the law enforcement officials released a new report showing the link between child poverty and crime, thanked Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln for her leadership on the federal child tax credit and called on her to help further reduce crime by supporting an extension of the child tax credit for low-income, working families.
"We know that serious crime affects the rich and poor alike, but research shows that low-income children are two-and-a-half times more likely to become violent offenders than the rest of our State's children," Attorney General McDaniel said. "That's why we are calling for action from Congress to help improve families' financial security and public safety."
Children are more likely than any other age group to be living in poverty. In Arkansas as one in four children is growing up in poverty. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that when parents' incomes rise above the poverty level, children in those economically improved families experienced a 40% decrease in behavior disorders that are closely linked to juvenile crime, such as conduct disorders and opposition defiant disorders.
"This child tax credit will allow hundreds of thousands of hard-working, lower-income parents to keep more of their income, help them make ends meet in these very challenging economic times, keep more children from falling into poverty and decrease the probability that these children will commit later crimes," Sheriff Holladay said.
The law enforcement leaders thanked Senator Lincoln, who has been a strong advocate for policies that help Arkansas's children, including an expanded child tax credit. Lincoln is a member of the Finance Committee, which has authority over taxation issues in the United States Senate. The law enforcement leaders also called on Congress to extend the current earnings requirement for refund eligibility so that vulnerable families can continue to receive the refundable tax credit.
"We understand that there are tremendous fiscal pressures facing the nation and this state," Chief Hutton said. "But we support providing working families with additional resources to take care of their children because it will help cut crime in the long run."
The current child tax credit, as enhanced by last year's recovery package, provides help to 225,000 Arkansas children in low-income families who could lose these benefits or see them substantially reduced if Congress takes no legislative action. Currently, families only get the refundable credit, which is 15 percent of earned income up to a maximum of $1,000 per child, once they have earned at least $3,000. If Congress does not act, the threshold will increase from $3,000 up to approximately $13,000, excluding additional poor, working parents from receiving the refundable portion of the tax credit.
Attorney General McDaniel, Sheriff Holladay and Chief Hutton are members of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, a national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, state attorneys general and violence survivors. The organization has more than 50 members in Arkansas and over 5,000 members nationwide.
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