Chris Van Hollen on Crime

Democratic Representative (MD-8)

Voted YES on expanding services for offendors' re-entry into society.

H.R.1593: Second Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety Through Recidivism Prevention or the Second Chance Act (Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass). To reauthorize the grant program for reentry of offenders into the community in the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, and to improve reentry planning and implementation.

Proponents support voting YES because:

Rep. CONYERS: Some 650,000 men and women are leaving the Federal and State prisons each year. While the vast majority of the prisoners are committed to abiding by the law and becoming productive members of society, they often encounter the same pressures & temptations that they faced before prison. More than two-thirds of them are arrested for new crimes within 3 years of their release. This exacts a terrible cost in financial terms as well as in human terms. The Second Chance Act will help provide these men and women with the training, counseling and other support needed to help them obtain & hold steady jobs; to kick their drug and alcohol habits; rebuild their families; and deal with the many other challenges that they face in their efforts to successfully rejoin society.

Opponents recommend voting NO because:

Rep. GOHMERT: The programs that are sought to be renewed are ones we don't have information on how successful they were. I can tell you from my days as a judge, there was some anecdotal evidence that it looked like faith-based programs did a better job of dramatically reducing recidivism. In addition:

There are some provisions that allow for too much administration. That is going to build a bigger bureaucracy.
Dismissing all charges if someone completes drug rehab under another provision I think is outrageous. You are going to remove the hammer that would allow you to keep people in line?
We also have a provision to teach inmates how they can go about getting the most welfare before they leave prison and go out on their own.

Reference: Second Chance Act; Bill HR1593 ; vote number 2007-1083 on Nov 13, 2007

Increase funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program.

Van Hollen co-sponsored increasing funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program

COPS Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT or COPS program). Revises grant purposes to provide for:

the hiring o Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to:

assign community prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and address counterterrorism problems, specific violent crime problems, and localized violent and other crime problems; and Source: COPS Improvements Act (S.368/H.R.1700) 07-S368 on Jan 23, 2007

Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance.

Van Hollen co-sponsored reducing recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance

Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand provisions for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects to provide expanded services to of Source: Second Chance Act (S.1060/H.R.1593) 08-S1060 on Mar 29, 2007

Click here for definitions & background information on Crime. Click here for a profile of Chris Van Hollen. Click here for HouseMatch answers by Chris Van Hollen. Agree? Disagree? Voice your opinions on Crime in The Forum. Click here for a summary of Chris Van Hollen's positions on all issues. Click here for issue positions of other MD politicians.
*Other candidates on Crime:*		*Chris Van Hollen on other issues:*
*MD Gubernatorial:* Martin O`Malley *MD Senatorial:* Barbara Mikulski Benjamin Cardin Corrogan Vaughn Democratic retirements & special elections: D,AL-5:Cramer D,CA-12:Lantos D,CO-2:Udall D,IN-7:Carson D,NY-21:McNulty D,ME-1:Allen D,MD-4:Wynn D,NM-3:Udall D,OR-5:Hooley *Republican special elections:* R,IL-14:Hastert R,LA-1:Jindal R,LA-6:Baker R,MS-1:Wicker R,OH-5:Gillmor	*Republican retirements:* R,AL-2:Everett R,AZ-1:Renzi R,CA-4:Doolittle R,CA-52:Hunter R,CO-6:Tancredo R,FL-15:Weldon R,IL-11:Weller R,IL-18:LaHood R,KY-2:Lewis R,LA-4:McCrery R,MD-1:Gilchrest R,MN-3:Ramstad R,MO-9:Hulshof R,MS-3:Pickering R,NJ-3:Saxton R,NJ-7:Ferguson R,NM-1:Wilson R,NM-2:Pearce R,NY-13:Fossella R,NY-25:Walsh R,NY-26:Reynolds R,OH-7:Hobson R,OH-15:Pryce R,OH-16:Regula R,PA-5:Peterson R,VA-11:Davis R,WY-0:Cubin	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty

Page last updated: Sep 16, 2008