June 25, 1998

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T H E W H I T E H O U S E

June 25, 1998

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PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE:
WORKING TO REDUCE JUVENILE CRIME

Important Economic Update
New Economic Numbers Confirm Strength Of The Economy. As the Vice President left for Texas, new economic numbers were released showing that the economy remains strong, and inflation low. Among the findings of today's report:
In the first quarter of 1998, the economy grew at an annual rate of 5.4 percent;
Investment in business equipment rose at an annual rate of 26.4;
Private sector growth was 7.2 percent in the first quarter; and
The gross domestic product price index rose a mere 1.2 percent at an annual rate. Over the past year, inflation rose just 1.4 percent, the smallest increase in 34 years.
Today's numbers reinforce the success of the Administration's economic policy of deficit reduction, investing in our people, and opening new markets to American good and services. This plan has helped create 16 million new jobs, generate the first budget surplus in 30 years, and reduce unemployment to its lowest level since 1970.

Catching criminals and punishing them is important, but it will not replace our shattered feeling of security, and it will not bring back the loved ones who have been lost. We need to stop crimes before they start. That means making sure that our kids grow up with values that will steer them off the wrong path, and onto the right one.

- Vice President Al Gore
June 25, 1998

Today, Vice President Al Gore travels to Texas where he discusses strategies to prevent youth crime and delinquency. The Vice President announces the availability to states of $232 million in national juvenile justice and accountability grants and awards funding to Houston, Texas for its anti-gang initiative.

A Balanced Approach To Juvenile Crime. The Clinton Administration is addressing juvenile crime through an approach which emphasizes tough enforcement measures that hold children accountable for their actions, but also works with children through targeted prevention and intervention strategies to help them stay on the track to success.

Giving States and Communities The Resources They Need. Under the Administration's Anti-Gang and Youth Violence Strategy, Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants are being offered so states can promote greater accountability in the juvenile justice system. The Administration fought to ensure that 45 percent of the funding goes directly toward hiring new juvenile justice prosecutors, strengthening the juvenile court system, and creating new anti-gang strategies that help prevent young people from entering a life of crime.

Cutting Crime Rates to the Lowest Levels in a Generation. The Administration's leadership in crime fighting has produced impressive results. Earlier this month, the Justice Department released preliminary data showing that in 1997 crime rates dropped for the sixth year in a row, the longest period of decline in a generation. Since 1993, violent crimes have dropped more than 15 percent, and murder rates have fallen by over 25 percent.