PRINTER'S NO. 413
No. 399 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY SCHWARTZ, STOUT, WILLIAMS, HECKLER, AFFLERBACH,
FUMO, MUSTO, O'PAKE, COSTA, RHOADES, MELLOW, KASUNIC AND
HUGHES, FEBRUARY 6, 1997
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 6, 1997
AN ACT
1 Providing for grants by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and
2 Delinquency.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the One Percent
7 for Crime Prevention Act.
8 Section 2. Declaration of policy.
9 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
10 (1) This Commonwealth has expanded prison and jail
11 capacity and increased spending for corrections at
12 unprecedented levels.
13 (2) The rate of growth in correctional spending in this
14 Commonwealth has increased while allocations for other vital
15 services have leveled off or decreased.
16 (3) From fiscal years 1982 to 1992, the Department of
17 Corrections realized a 263% General Fund operating budget
1 increase as compared to the Department of Education,
2 Department of Environmental Resources, Department of Health,
3 Department of Public Welfare and Department of Transportation
4 which on the average experienced an increase of 75%.
5 (4) The Department of Corrections received a
6 $933,130,000 appropriation for the fiscal year 1996-1997.
7 (5) According to the National Crime Prevention Council,
8 community crime prevention has demonstrated effectiveness in
9 six key areas: increasing knowledge, changing attitudes,
10 altering actions, mobilizing communities, reducing crime
11 rates and enhancing the quality of life.
12 (6) Crime and violence can be prevented with the proper
13 resources to provide sustained, integrated efforts by
14 criminal justice, social service and community-based
15 organizations.
16 (7) At a minimum, the General Assembly should
17 appropriate an amount equaling 1% of the Department of
18 Corrections' budget to develop and expand crime prevention
19 initiatives.
20 Section 3. Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
21 (a) Grants to programs.--The Pennsylvania Commission on
22 Crime and Delinquency is hereby authorized to award grants to
23 new or existing crime prevention programs targeted to
24 individuals at risk of criminal behavior.
25 (b) Eligibility for grants.--Crime prevention programs
26 awarded funding should include at least one, but shall not be
27 limited to, providing assistance for the following purposes:
28 (1) School dropouts and truants.
29 (2) Children of incarcerated parents.
30 (3) Children living in communities with high incidence
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1 of crime and other youth at risk.
2 (4) Family reunification efforts, including education in
3 parenting skills.
4 (5) Job placement through training and literacy.
5 (6) Prevention of substance abuse.
6 (c) Interprogram cooperation.--Crime prevention programs
7 awarded funding should demonstrate collaborative efforts
8 involving local residents, law enforcement agencies, schools,
9 social services, businesses and other community-based
10 organizations.
11 Section 4. Appropriation.
12 The sum of $9,300,000, or as much thereof as may be
13 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Pennsylvania Commission
14 on Crime and Delinquency for the fiscal year July 1, 1997, to
15 June 30, 1998, to carry out the provisions of this act.
16 Section 5. Effective date.
17 This act shall take effect July 1, 1997.
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