The Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 signed by President Bill Clinton was the largest crime reform bill in U.S. history. The bill provided 100,000 new police officers, billions of dollars of funding for crime prevention programs, and additional funding for FBI, DEA, and numerous other Justice Department, Treasury Department, and Federal court workings.
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The bill passed in 1994 with bipartisan congressional support but has since been viewed as a failure on behalf of the Clinton Administration. Below are some key facts about the controversial bill:
-The bill underwent extensive compromises in order to get bipartisan support. Republicans in Congress cut the proposed $33.5 billion package by two thirds, deeming much of the proposed budget to be excessive welfare spending. Republicans also wanted to terminate the bill’s ban on assault weapons.
-The Democrat-proposed bill expanded the death penalty to be applicable to 60 crimes. The use of the death penalty is a highly controversial topic today that Democrats typically oppose.
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-The bill reduced the availability of firearms by increasing federal licensing standards and by prohibiting the sale and possession of firearms to juveniles and to individuals with domestic violence restraining orders against them.
-The bill expanded the definition of fraud to include insurance and telemarketing in addition to extending the sentencing options for fraud targeting the elderly.
-The bill imposed stricter penalties and rules for gang members accused of drug crimes, juveniles charged with violent crimes, illegal immigrants, and sex offenders.
-The bill imposed the three strikes law, which increases a defendant’s likelihood of life imprisonment if they have been charged with three violent felonies or drug trafficking crimes.
-The bill gives the Department of Justice authority to determine whether other law enforcement agencies are violating people’s federal rights and to correct the respective agency’s behavior.
The bill has been under fire in recent years for being the initial cause for mass incarceration within the US penal system. Prominent politicians, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have renounced their support for the bill.
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