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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 11681 A Resolation?//,?/V REGARDING PROPOSED ANTI-CRIME LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE WHEREAS, there is an important need to build sufficient facilities to provide for the continuing confinement of criminals whose premature release would pose a serious danger to society, and, WHEREAS, under the Prison Management Act, inmates in overcrowded prisons are automatically credited with "good time," regardless of their behavior, when the inmate population reaches 95 percent of the system's capa- city, and, WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the people of this state, that any criminal convicted of p felony offense should be required to serve at least 25 percent of his/her sentence before attaining eligibility for parole, or at least 50 percent of his/her sentence if convicted of a second felony offense, and, WHEREAS, there is a vital need to esablish some form of accountabi- lity to the public for the parole of convicts, and, WHEREAS, the enactment of a Racketeer-Influenced & Corrupt Organi- zations (RICO) legislation is needed to disrupt criminal activity and reduce its economic and political power by sanctions and prohibitions that would tie profits gained through criminal acts to real estate and other assets, and permit the seizure of such assets, and, WHEREAS, statistics indicate that there is an increasing number of juveniles who are committing serious crimes, and under the existing system prosecutors are not permitted to try such juveniles as adults, and, WHEREAS, the Speedy Trial Act has served to seriously hamper the efforts of prosecutors to convict criminals, by providing defendants with technicalities that can be used to avoid prosecution, and, WHEREAS, it is important that the law be changed to require defen- dants to be prosecuted in a single trial for all offenses arising out of the same criminal episode, instead of being tried separately for each offense, and, WHEREAS, law enforcement officials should be provided with limited liability from civil suits to enable them to effectively apprehend and con- vict criminals, and, WHEREAS, the state should undertake to seriously consider using alternatives to incarceration, as well as increase expenditures for drug-abuse and alcohol-abuse prevention and treatment programs, and, O ?.:rrY OF FORT WORTH WHEREAS, in cities across the state, police departments have been overwhelmed by the rising crime rate, and prosecutors are presently unable to handle the large number of cases being filed and courts are suffering a tremendous backlog for cases awaiting trial, and, WHEREAS, the City of Fort Worth has had a 33 percent increase in the crime rate, and now ranks number one in the nation in crimes committed per one-thousand population, and, WHEREAS, the City Council believes that important changes need to be made to the existing Criminal Justice System to enable the system to effectively address the growing crime problem, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, that the City supports the Anti-Crime Package as proposed by the Mayor's Criminal Justice Task Force of Dallas, Texas. AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City urges the members of the Tarrant County Delegation to make a strong effort to secure passage of the Anti-Crime Package at the 70th Session of the Texas Legislature. Adopted this day of 1986. Attest APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL A U G 5 1988 .mot oty Secretary of the City of Fort Worth, Texas 13 r C=Y OF FORT WORTH