
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC14194]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
         CHAPTER 136--VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
 
SUBCHAPTER XII--PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT ON VIOLENCE AND NATIONAL COMMISSION 
                     ON CRIME PREVENTION AND CONTROL
 
Sec. 14194. Responsibilities of Commission


(a) In general

    The responsibilities of the Commission shall include such study and 
consultation as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the 
purposes set forth in section 14193 of this title, including the 
specific measures described in subsections (b) through (e) of this 
section in relation to the subject areas addressed in those subsections.

(b) Crime and violence generally

    In addressing the subject of crime and violence generally, the 
activities of the Commission shall include the following:
        (1) Reviewing the effectiveness of traditional criminal justice 
    approaches in preventing and controlling crime and violence.
        (2) Examining the impact that changes in Federal and State law 
    have had in controlling crime and violence.
        (3) Examining the impact of changes in Federal immigration laws 
    and policies and increased development and growth along United 
    States international borders on crime and violence in the United 
    States, particularly among the Nation's youth.
        (4) Examining the problem of youth gangs and providing 
    recommendations as to how to reduce youth involvement in violent 
    crime.
        (5) Examining the extent to which the use of dangerous weapons 
    in the commission of crime has contributed to violence and murder in 
    the United States.
        (6) Convening field hearings in various regions of the country 
    to receive testimony from a cross section of criminal justice 
    professionals, business leaders, elected officials, medical doctors, 
    and other persons who wish to participate.
        (7) Reviewing all segments of the Nation's criminal justice 
    systems, including the law enforcement, prosecution, defense, 
    judicial, and corrections components in developing the crime control 
    and prevention proposal.

(c) Causes of demand for drugs

    In addressing the subject of the causes of the demand for drugs, the 
activities of the Commission shall include the following:
        (1) Examining the root causes of illicit drug use and abuse in 
    the United States, including by compiling existing research 
    regarding those root causes, and including consideration of the 
    following factors:
            (A) The characteristics of potential illicit drug users and 
        abusers or drug traffickers, including age and social, economic, 
        and educational backgrounds.
            (B) Environmental factors that contribute to illicit drug 
        use and abuse, including the correlation between unemployment, 
        poverty, and homelessness and drug experimentation and abuse.
            (C) The effects of substance use and abuse by a relative or 
        friend in contributing to the likelihood and desire of an 
        individual to experiment with illicit drugs.
            (D) Aspects of, and changes in cultural values, attitudes 
        and traditions that contribute to illicit drug use and abuse.
            (E) The physiological and psychological factors that 
        contribute to the desire for illicit drugs.

        (2) Evaluating Federal, State, and local laws and policies on 
    the prevention of drug abuse, control of unlawful production, 
    distribution and use of controlled substances, and the efficacy of 
    sentencing policies with regard to those laws.
        (3) Analyzing the allocation of resources among interdiction of 
    controlled substances entering the United States, enforcement of 
    Federal laws relating to the unlawful production, distribution, and 
    use of controlled substances, education with regard to and the 
    prevention of the unlawful use of controlled substances, and 
    treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers.
        (4) Analyzing current treatment and rehabilitation methods and 
    making recommendations for improvements.
        (5) Identifying any existing gaps in drug abuse policy that 
    result from the lack of attention to the root causes of drug abuse.
        (6) Assessing the needs of government at all levels for 
    resources and policies for reducing the overall desire of 
    individuals to experiment with and abuse illicit drugs.
        (7) Making recommendations regarding necessary improvements in 
    policies for reducing the use of illicit drugs in the United States.

(d) Violence in schools

    In addressing the subject of violence in schools, the activities of 
the Commission shall include the following:
        (1) Defining the causes of violence in schools.
        (2) Defining the scope of the national problem of violence in 
    schools.
        (3) Providing statistics and data on the problem of violence in 
    schools on a State-by-State basis.
        (4) Investigating the problem of youth gangs and their relation 
    to violence in schools and providing recommendations on how to 
    reduce youth involvement in violent crime in schools.
        (5) Examining the extent to which dangerous weapons have 
    contributed to violence and murder in schools.
        (6) Exploring the extent to which the school environment has 
    contributed to violence in schools.
        (7) Reviewing the effectiveness of current approaches in 
    preventing violence in schools.

(e) Violence against women

    In addressing the subject of sexual assault, domestic violence, and 
other criminal and unlawful acts that particularly affect women, the 
activities of the Commission shall include the following:
        (1) Evaluating the adequacy of, and making recommendations 
    regarding, current law enforcement efforts at the Federal, State, 
    and local levels to reduce the incidence of such crimes and acts, 
    and to punish those responsible for such crimes and acts.
        (2) Evaluating the adequacy of, and making recommendations 
    regarding, the responsiveness of prosecutors and courts to such 
    crimes and acts.
        (3) Evaluating the adequacy of rules of evidence, practice, and 
    procedure to ensure the effective prosecution and conviction of 
    perpetrators of such crimes and acts and to protect victims of such 
    crimes and acts from abuse in legal proceedings, making 
    recommendations, where necessary, to improve those rules.
        (4) Evaluating the adequacy of pretrial release, sentencing, 
    incarceration, and post-conviction release in relation to such 
    crimes and acts.
        (5) Evaluating the adequacy of, and making recommendations 
    regarding, the adequacy of Federal and State laws on sexual assault 
    and the need for a more uniform statutory response to sex offenses, 
    including sexual assaults and other sex offenses committed by 
    offenders who are known or related by blood or marriage to the 
    victim.
        (6) Evaluating the adequacy of, and making recommendations 
    regarding, the adequacy of Federal and State laws on domestic 
    violence and the need for a more uniform statutory response to 
    domestic violence.
        (7) Evaluating the adequacy of, and making recommendations 
    regarding, the adequacy of current education, prevention, and 
    protective services for victims of such crimes and acts.
        (8) Assessing the issuance, formulation, and enforcement of 
    protective orders, whether or not related to a criminal proceeding, 
    and making recommendations for their more effective use in domestic 
    violence and stalking cases.
        (9) Assessing the problem of stalking and recommending effective 
    means of response to the problem.
        (10) Evaluating the adequacy of, and making recommendations 
    regarding, programs for public awareness and public dissemination of 
    information to prevent such crimes and acts.
        (11) Evaluating the treatment of victims of such crimes and acts 
    in Federal, State, and local criminal justice systems, and making 
    recommendations designed to improve such treatment.

(Pub. L. 103-322, title XXVII, Sec. 270004, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 
2092.)

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 14192 of this title.
