SCOTT AMENDMENT TO COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2016

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Chair, this amendment that I am offering today would repurpose just 1 percent of the funding for the Federal prison system and restore funding for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Madam Chair, the underlying bill zeros out both title II formula grants and title V discretionary grants for prevention and early intervention programs, which were funded last year at approximately $70 million. To ensure that our State juvenile justice systems are not irreparably damaged, this amendment would take just 1 percent away from our Federal prison systems, approximately $70 million, to maintain our commitment to prevention and early intervention.

The prison system can take steps to deal with this reduction by limiting duplicate prosecutions or pursuing evidence-based alternatives to incarceration, particularly for first-time offenders. These practices not only will save money, but will also improve public safety.

We have a choice, Madam Chair. We can invest in prisons after the fact, or we can invest in prevention and early intervention before the fact and eliminate what the Children's Defense Fund calls the Cradle to Prison Pipeline.