Washington, DC – The National Council of la Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today expressed its strong opposition to H.R. 1279, the “Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005” – scheduled to be debated in the U.S. House of Representatives next week – stating that the bill would undermine public safety and fail to deter crime.

“No community is more affected by the issue of gangs than the Latino community, and no community has a bigger stake in winning the fight against gang violence. Yet, this legislation, touted as a ‘tough on crime’ measure, will neither reduce crime nor protect communities,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO.

Among its key provisions, H.R. 1279 would transfer more youth into the adult criminal justice system. “The evidence is crystal clear – putting youth into the adult criminal justice system increases, not decreases, crime. Once they are released, young people tried as adults are more likely to commit another, often violent, crime more quickly than those youth tried as juvenile offenders. They are also at greater risk of being victims of violence during their incarceration.”

The bill would also create a new category of crimes – “gang crimes” – in which mandatory minimum sentences will be imposed. “Mandatory minimum guidelines have been shown to be discriminatory against minority communities, resulting in harsher sentences and longer prison terms for African Americans and Latinos than for Whites. By focusing on punitive measures rather than more effective gang prevention, intervention, and suppression programs, H.R. 1279 virtually guarantees that we will lose another generation to a life of crime,” noted Murguia.

Finally, the bill expands the definition of “criminal street gang” to include a group of three or more who commit at least two offenses, including misdemeanors. “We are extremely concerned with the profoundly disruptive effect on our communities of rounding up innocent kids as ‘suspected gang members’,” continued Murguia.

“We need to end the scourge of gang violence in our country, but we need to do it in a smart, effective, and fair way. Congress should reject H.R. 1279 and instead provide more support for prevention, treatment, and alternatives to incarceration programs and more resources to those on the front lines of this issue – our state and local justice systems,” Murguia concluded.

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