##### updated format CLINTON/GORE ON CRIME AND DRUGS Despite all the tough talk on crime we hear from Washington, crime and drug use are expanding dramatically in America. We have a national problem on our hands that requires a tough national response. Bill Clinton has a national crime strategy that will use the powers of the Presidency to prevent and punish crime. We need to put more police on the streets of our cities, to allow the same law enforcement officers to walk the same blocks day in and day out, to work as friends with their neighbors to prevent crime from happening, as well as to catch criminals after crime occurs. We cant go four more years without a plan to fight crime and drugs in our cities and in our schools. You may not agree with everything in Bill Clintons plan, but you have a right to know what hell do and where he stands. Make neighborhoods safe again * Fight crime by putting 100,000 new police officers on the streets; create a National Police Corps and offer veterans and active military personnel a chance to become law enforcement officers. * Give young offenders a second opportunity to become decent citizens by supporting the creation of boot camps for non-violent first-time offenders. These shock incarceration programs require rigorous exercise and arduous work to instill discipline, boost self-esteem, and teach decency and respect for the law. Expand federal crime assistance * Set standards for urban, suburban, and rural crime emergency areas. Make communities hit hardest by crime eligible for federal matching funds to assist in the war on crime when they create a comprehensive crime control plan that gets results and adopts proven anti-crime measures like: * Community-based policing: In communities across America, local law enforcement officials are stopping crimes before they happen by moving from emergency response to community-based law enforcement. By taking officers out of patrol cars and putting increasing numbers back on the beat, cities are winning the war on crime. * Drug treatment on demand: Thousands of addicts have volunteered to take themselves off the streets, only to hear the government tell them that they have to wait six months. In a Clinton Administration, federal assistance will help communities dramatically increase their ability to offer drug treatment to everyone who needs help. * Drug education in schools: With only 5 percent of the worlds population, Americans consume approximately 50 percent of all illegal drugs. To decrease demand, we need to reach our kids when they are young and teach them the evils of drug abuse. Drug education programs and school-based clinics must provide our children with access to the drug counseling, education, and outreach programs they need to stop drug addiction before it begins. Keep guns out of the hands of criminals * Provide the leadership we need to pass the Brady Bill, which will create a waiting period for handgun purchases to keep firearms off the streets and out of the hands of criminals. * Ban assault weapons like the so-called Street Sweeper that have no legitimate hunting purpose; limit access to multiple-round clips like the one used in the tragic killings in Killeen, Texas. Empower public housing residents * Give residents of public housing the chance to organize themselves to eliminate the drugs and weapons from public housing; support efforts like Operation Clean Sweep in Chicago, which helps residents take back their housing from gangs and dealers. Take back our schools * Create a Safe Schools Initiative, so that children can focus on learning again. We will increase funding to pay for metal detectors and security personnel; encourage states to grant school officials greater authority to conduct locker and automobile searches; and expand funding for mentoring, counseling, and outreach programs so kids in trouble with crime, gangs, or drugs can turn to someone for help. Get tough on white collar crime * Bill Clinton will work to pass tougher criminal penalties for white collar crimes -- including environmental crimes -- so that serious white collar criminals serve jail time. * Plea bargaining will be limited to questions of prison time, not how much money a white collar crook gets to keep. * Jail sentences will be served in real prisons, not high-tech summer camps. Fighting Drugs Governor Clinton has been tough on crime and drugs. Penalties have been increased for repeat offenders, drug dealers, and violent crimes. At the same time, the victims rights have been secured, crime and drug prevention programs have been structured into schools and businesses, and an innovative "boot camp" program for first-time offenders has been established. Governor Clinton has carried out the death penalty four times during his tenure. * Strengthened drug laws (for example, the rebuttable presumption for intent to deliver cocaine was reduced from 2 grams to 1 gram), toughened penalties for individuals convicted of selling drugs on or near school property, and increased the number of narcotics officers on the beat. * Under Governor Clintons leadership, a highly successful marijuana eradication program resulted in the destruction of over one million marijuana plants with an estimated value of more than $1 billion from 1982 through 1991. * Established boot camps, a 105-day program of paramilitary exercise, arduous work, drug treatment and education to instill discipline in non-violent first offenders. To date, boot camp participants have a low recidivism rate of 13.2 percent. Protecting Victims' Rights * Fought for victims' rights: In 1977, as Attorney General, Clinton submitted two bills to provide compensation to crime victims. As Governor, Clinton passed laws which guarantee the right of victims to be present in the courtroom in all phases of the judicial process; a Victim/Witness Coordinator assists victims and their families in coping with the criminal justice system; and a Victim Reparations Act compensates victims and their families. The National Organization for Victim Assistance has recognized Arkansas program as one of the most progressive in the country. * Adopted new good time policies encouraging inmate education. Since 1983, almost 4,000 inmates have received their GEDs through this program, and have had a low recidivism rate (11.2 percent).