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University Daily Kansan / Friday. March 6. 1992
U.S. attorney general talks crime
By Janet Rorholm
Kansan staff writer
U. S. Attorney General William Barr wants to see a greater effort to reduce violent crime in the United States by giving harshal punishments to offenders and more money to prisons.
Barr spoke to judges, lawyers, professors and students in the Kansas Union Ballroom last night. His speech was sponsored by the KU School of Law and Donnan and Patricia Stephenson, KU alumni.
Barr placed the blame for much violent crime in the country on repeat or frequent offenders. He said such persons had committed an average of four crimes a week, had been sentenced for a previous crime and were out on bail or parole.
"The answer to violent crime is prison," Barr said. "We must incarcerate chronic offenders and require them to serve all of their sentence. Had these committers served their full sentence, those crimes would not have been committed."
He said that a trend began in the 1960s and 1970s to let criminals off easy for crimes and that the practice resulted in a skivocketing crime rate.
U. S. Attorney General William Barr gives his views about handling crime.
Barr said that efforts were made in the 80% to get tougher on crime and that the murder rate dropped by 8 percent.
"This is an achievement," he said. "It's remarkable this happened in the 1980s right in the face of the crack epidemic. What would violate crime be if we hadn't put these 475,000 offenders away?"
The critical problem the nation now faces is lack of money spent on increasing prison space. Barr said.
He said Texas was an example of what could happen without appropriate prison financing. Texas did not spend money to increase prison space in the last decade, and the average time a criminal spent in prison dropped from serving 55 percent of a sentence to 6 per cent, he said. Convicted murderers spent an average of 2 to 3 years in prison.
Barr said the problem of gangs also was being addressed nationwide. In some areas such as Chicago, a law allowing gang members to be charged under organized crime statutes has increased gang prosecutions.
Efforts in Philadelphia in the past few years put 600 gang members in prison. Barr said it was no coincidence that a police officer had shot that had a reduction in its murder rate.
Sidney Shapiro, a rounds professor of law administration who attended the speech, said that he did not think anyone would argue that the solution to crime was stricter punishment but that
the problem became more complex when the solution involved money. So you can say,
"It's easy for a federal official to say
Police in popular resorts add muscle for spring break mobs
weneed more prisons, but it's very hard for state officials to find the money to pay for it," Shapiro said.
Officials plan a crackdown on traditional vacation havoc
However, police in popular spring break towns are expecting the students, and will be enforcing city and county ordinances about drinking, driving and camping on city beaches.
Students heading south for spring break might expect a week of sunning, partying and cruising on beaches.
By Michelle Betts Kansan staff writer
The Daytona Beach police in Daytona Beach, Fla., will have 100 extra officers on the streets to deal with spring break, said Al Tolley, public information officer for the city. He said that the reserve forces had been on hand for the Daytona 500 in January and would stay on the streets until April.
Daytona Beach has a population of about 60,000, and the police expect an additional 200,000 people for spring break. Tolley said.
"Kids will jump in a car, 10 or 15 of them, in a convertible made for two people, and it's just overloaded," he said.
Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is, has ordinances prohibiting drinking on the beach, and officials will be strictly enforcing them during spring break. he said.
"Certainly, it's not politically correct to offer any coke (cocaine) when they walk into your office for a meeting anymore," said Jacqueline McDonald, president of the Scott Newman Center. Actor Paul Newman founded the antidrug program after his son's 1978 overdose death.
"We'll be looking for people who are drunk, who are causing fights," Peralta said. "And because of the heavy traffic, we have to cover over their reflexes and that great."
Peralta said officers would give citations to people who were driving with too many passengers in their car.
Pete Peralta. Chief Deputy of the Nueces County Sheriffs Department, said officers would look for people who were extremely intoxicated and could cause problems in Port Aransas.
Pick-up trucks carrying too many people are dangerous when the vehicles must make a quick stop. Peralta said.
People are not allowed to sleep on the beach, nor are they allowed to park cars on residential streets and sleep in their cars, he said.
fic lanes so people can drive on it, and police enforce traffic laws on the beach roadways, Tolley said.
because of the influx of cars and pedestrians during spring break," he said.
South Padre Island, Tex., and Port
Aransas, Tex., are also beach towns
The beach in Daytona Beachhastraf
It's pretty much like summertime
(or worse), said Sgt. Stir Ostermayer
(before he was shot).
Belshu, 33, who had been binging on a combination of heroin and cocaine known as a "speedball," was found dead March 5, 1982, in a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood.
"It caused a big exodus from drugs," actor Robin Williams, who partied that night with the comedian Hollywood The Holiday Reporter in 1988.
It became acceptable for stars,
it ranging from Eddie Fisher to Dennis
Hopper, to publicly detail their
addictions and renounce narcotics.
Alcoholic beverages are permitted on the beaches in Port Aransas and South Padre Island, but no glass containers are allowed.
Tommy Atkinson, South Padre Island police representative, said he had been told that about 75,000 to 100,000 students would be visiting the island during spring break.
"There certainly is the appearance of it (drug use) being down. I suspect, like many things, where there's an appearance, there's a reality." McDonald said.
Ostermayer said that alcoholic beverages were prohibited on Galveston beaches and that police would enforce city drinking ordinances as well as state laws about minors in possession of alcohol and driving while intoxicated
The hip image of drugs, which was a part of the "Saturday Night Live" television show that shot Belushi to fame, was out. Instead, the nod went to films such as "The Boost" (1988), starring James Woods as a cocaine user skidding toward destruction.
"Drug use has gone back into the closet," said Mark Locher, national
Shock waves were felt throughout the industry.
Police in Galveston, Tex., do not expect a large crowd for spring break
Belushi's death anniversary triggers discussion of Hollywood's drug scene
spokesman for the Screen Actors Guild, which this year added substance-abuse therapy to its healthcare plan.
But unlike the tragic glamour attached to the overdosages of Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and others, Belushi's death sounded an alarm in the entertainment industry.
The Associated Press
ON CAMPUS
It's difficult to know if Hollywood, the master of image and illusion, has turned its back on narration. It's not that some more discreet, observers say.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ten years ago this week, comedian John Belushi slipped into the ranks of legends who died young and hooked on drugs.
"There was a time when people put cocaine out on the coffee table at a party ... I don't hear anything like that at jalta." Locker said.
- Women's Student Union will meet at 5 p.m. today at the Oread Room in the Kansas Union.
A door from a KU student's green Jeep, valued at $300, was taken between midnight and 10 a.m. Wednesday from the 1200 block of Kentucky St., Lawrence police reported.
ON THE RECORD
Kerrey quits presidential campaign, name to remain on Indiana ballot
A stereo, amplifier and several cassette tapes, valued together at $600, were taken between 5 p. m. Tuesday and 1 p. m. Wednesday from a KU student's scar in the 1500 block of Crestline Drive, Lawrence police reported.
The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey dropped out of the presidential race yesterday, but friends and colleagues said they were convinced he would remain on the national scene.
"There's no doubt in my mind he's the kind of person I'd like to have as president of this country," said Kerr Johnson. Sen Jess Raspussen of Omaha.
It is very likely Kerrey will make another run for the presidency, Rasmussen said, unless someone leads the country in the direction it ought to be going.
Sen. Jim Exon D-Neb., said Kerry had never expressed an interest to him in being vice president, but it appeared Kerrey would not rule it out.
In a wistful Washington news conference, Kerrey said he wasending his once promising campaign for the Democratic nomination with regret but with great pride.
"This is no retreat, and this is no sur-
render," he said.
"I would think that might be a possi-
The announcement came two days after Kerrey failed to win any delegates in Tuesday's eight primaries and caucuses. Kerrey's sole victory was last week in South Dakota.
Even as Kerrey dropped his bid yesterday, supporters in Indianapolis filed petitions to get him on the ballot for Indiana's May 5 primary.
Keruré the Indiana director, Ed Mahern, said he filed there because he had 7,000 people who signed Keruré's petition and said they wanted his name
there.
Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said Kerenley still had a future as a national political leader despite his decision to drop out of the Democratic presidential sweepstakes.
Maharen said he did not think that having Kerrey's name on the Indiana ballot would help or hurt any of the other candidates.
"I greatly admire him and believe that he is an outstanding national leader and will be for many years to come," said Mitchell, a Democrat.
Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole, who in 1988 dropped his quest for the GOP presidential nomination, said he knew how Kerrey felt.
"But as he said, it's not the end of the world. There are other challenges," Dole said.
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Etc. 0:5:30 Mon-Sat Till 8 on
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843-0611
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