Federal Crime Control: Background, Legislation, and Issues (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 27, 2008 |
| Report Number |
RL32824 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Kristin M. Finklea and Lisa M. Seghetti, Domestic Social Policy Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
States and localities have the primary responsibility for prevention and control of domestic crime. As crime became more rampant, the federal government increased its involvement in crime control efforts. Over a period of 10 years, Congress passed five major anti-crime bills and increased appropriations for federal assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, however, federal law enforcement efforts have been focused more on countering terrorism and maintaining homeland security. Amid these efforts, however, Congress continues to address many crime-related issues.
Many have attributed the increased attention the federal government gave to crime issues in the 1980s and 1990s to the rising crime rate. The violent crime rate, for example, began to increase in the 1960s, continuing to rise in the mid-1990s before starting to decline in the late-1990s. The continued decline in the violent crime rate in the early 2000's coincided with national attention being focused away from domestic crimes and more on securing the homeland against terrorism. During this period, Congress began to increase federal funding to homeland security-related activities. In 2005, however, the violent crime rate began to increase and continued to increase in 2006, before declining again in 2007. The increase in the violent crime rate in 2005 and 2006, however, continues to remain at an over 30 year low.
The 110th Congress is considering a variety of crime-related legislation, some of which has either been enacted, reported out of committee, and/or passed one or the other Chamber. For example, the following Acts were enacted during the 110th Congress: the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-177); the Second Chance Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-199); the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-326); the Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-358); the Drug-Endangered Children Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-345); the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-360); the Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-415); and the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-416). The House passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1592) and the COPS Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 1700). The Senate passed the Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007 (S. 456), and the Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported the COPS Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 368), the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008 (S. 3155), and the Fugitive Information Networked Database Act of 2008 (S. 3136). In addition to the aforementioned legislation, other crime-related issues have surfaced during the 110th Congress that could warrant congressional action, such as the U.S. Sentencing Commission amending the federal sentencing guidelines by lowering the recommended penalties for crack cocaine offenses in an effort to alleviate some of the issues associated with the sentencing disparity in current law between crack and powder cocaine; reforming the Federal Prison Industries; reforming the federal sentencing system; and providing oversight of the various Department of Justice grant programs. This report will be updated as warranted.
