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.
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