NCJ Number
79790
Date Published
1981
Length
470 pages
Annotation
Florida officials' testimony before the Attorney General's Task Force on Violent Crime focuses on the problems of drug smuggling and the need for a Government immigration policy. Members of the task force deliberate ways to modify or amplify the Federal role -- to assist State and local governments in law enforcement activities.
Abstract
A transcript of deliberations by members of the task force (Jeffrey Harris, James R. Thompson, Griffin Bell, David Armstrong, William Hart, William F. Littlefield, Robert L. Edwards, Frank G. Carrington, and James Q. Wilson) is presented. Topics include the advisability of a Federal gun control law, the Federal role in criminal justice research and demonstration projects, and problems connected with pretrial release and bail. A discussion of insanity defense issues focuses on Michigan's law creating a new category of the mentally ill. Other topics are the exclusionary rule, the need to address the problem of prison and jail overcrowding, and several issues related to juvenile justice (juvenile detention centers, the FBI's policy of not providing fingerprint data on juveniles, and the juvenile court system). Implications for law enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act which can put FBI informants in jeopardy are also discussed, as well as the Tax Reform Act of 1976 which, it is said, hampers enforcement of fraud and narcotics laws by protecting the confidentiality of Internal Revenue Service records. The task force's deliberations conclude with various issues regarding the victims of violent crime -- the 'Victim's Bill of Rights' concept, third-party liability, compensation, restitution, and victim-witness assistance. The task force also heard testimony about issues particularly affecting Florida, such as the need for an immigration policy that will mitigate the impact of large numbers of immigrants on State and local law enforcement capabilities and issues connected with drug smuggling and drug-related crime. Testifying were Bob Graham, Governor of Florida; Jim Smith, Florida Attorney General; Jon Sale, Miami attorney; David Bludworth, a State's Attorney; Gerald Lewis, Comptroller; and James W. York, Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. John R. Manson, Commissioner of Corrections for Connecticut, spoke of the need for inservice training of correctional officers and for alternatives to new prison construction in dealing with prison overcrowding. George Sunderland, National Director of Criminal Justice Services for the American Association of Retired Persons, also spoke.