FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OTJ TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 1997 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888 DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF TRIBAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES NEW YOUTH VIOLENCE LEGISLATION IN INDIAN COUNTRY WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Administration's new youth crime legislation will be crucial in helping Indian tribes fight juvenile crime said Thomas L. LeClaire, Director of the Office of Tribal Justice, today. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, LeClaire said, "juvenile crime and delinquency are perhaps the most serious threat to the future prosperity of Indian communities." LeClaire emphasized that the President's proposed Anti-Gang and Youth Violence Legislation not only "strengthen[s] direct law enforcement in Indian Country, making prosecutions more effective in these communities, but it also provides additional funds for vital prevention programs that tribes can access." In his testimony, LeClaire noted that, "while violent crime is falling in American cities, it is rising on American Indian reservations." LeClaire also said that tribes have increasingly taken advantage of various grants and technical assistance programs in addressing all the issues of juveniles and crime, including domestic violence and sexual assault, child abuse, corrections facilities, and funding for additional police. They also rely upon successful prevention programs, such as, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, SafeFutures, and Safe Kids - Safe Streets. The President's Anti-Gang and Youth Violence Act of 1997, creates a new $6 million discretionary program exclusively for Native American tribes, and will also encourage Indian tribes to develop comprehensive initiatives to combat juvenile crime that best meet their needs and concerns. The legislation also calls for an increase in funding for the development of tribal correction facilities. The Administration submitted its legislation to Congress on February 25, 1997. ### 97-143