Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

November 5, 2009
Prisoner Reentry: A Limited Federal Government Role
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
To address the issue of offender recidivism, the federal government should operate reentry programs for offenders formally incarcerated in the federal correctional system.  The federal ...

August 28, 2009
School Safety in Washington, D.C.: New Data for the 2007-2008 School Year
By David Muhlhausen, Ph.D., Don Soifer, and Dan Lips
(Center for Data Analysis Report #09-06)
Many District of Columbia students attend schools where they are too often exposed to crime and violence. Policymakers in the District should recognize that school ...

August 17, 2009
Adult Time for Adult Crimes: Life Without Parole for Juvenile Killers and Violent Teens
By Charles Stimson and Andrew Grossman
(Special Report #65)
Adult Time for Adult Crimes: Life Without Parole for Juvenile Killers and Violent Teens by Charles D. Stimson and Andrew Grossman looks at the continued ...

August 5, 2009
The Youth PROMISE Act: Outside the Scope and Expertise of the Federal Government
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
However well-intentioned, the Youth PROMISE Act will further expand the national government's role in preventing crime into what has been the traditional realm of state ...

May 12, 2009
Byrne JAG and COPS Grant Funding Will Not Stimulate the Economy
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
Instead of passing economic stimulus legislation designed to stimulate the economy, Congress treated the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) as ...

May 11, 2009
COPS Program: COPS Improvements Act of 2009 Exacerbates Flawed Federal Policies
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Brian W. Walsh
(WebMemo #2434)
The COPS Improvements Acts of 2009 would encourage state and local officials to become permanent supplicants for federal COPS funding.

March 10, 2009
Why Maryland Needs Truth-in-Sentencing
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
Maryland faces a serious violent crime problem. Some members of society clearly need to be in prison for the safety of the rest. As long ...

January 9, 2009
Enacting Principled, Nonpartisan Criminal-Law Reform: A Memo to President-elect Obama
By Brian W. Walsh
(Special Report #42)
President-elect Obama, during your campaign, you promised to improve the administration of criminal justice for all Americans without limitation. This promise is vital because criminal ...

September 26, 2008
COPS Reform: Why Congress Can't Make the COPS Program Work
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Brian W. Walsh
(Backgrounder #2188)
The COPS program has an extensive track record of poor performance and should be eliminated. Some Members of Congress propose resuscitating it with COPS 2.0. ...

September 26, 2008
Executive Summary: COPS Reform: Why Congress Can't Make the COPS Program Work
By avid B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Brian W. Walsh
(Executive Summary #2188)
Executive Summary: The COPS program has an extensive track record of poor performance and should be eliminated. Some Members of Congress propose resuscitating it with ...

August 29, 2008
Making It a Federal Case: An Inside View of the Pressures to Federalize Crime
By Rachel Brand
(Legal Memorandum #30)
A lack of public understanding of the problem of over-federalization results in political pressures that make it difficult for the executive branch to combat the ...

July 30, 2008
Enumerated Powers Act Brings the Constitution to Capitol Hill
By Andrew M. Grossman
(Legal Memorandum #29)
The Enumerated Powers Act would be a small step toward reviving the practice of constitutionally limited government. Although it would not stop Congress from passing ...

July 29, 2008
Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary

April 16, 2008
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire: 100,000 Stolen Votes in Chicago
By Hans A. von Spakovsky
(Legal Memorandum #23)
Chicago’s decades-long voting-fraud experience involved techniques that have come to light in recent elections in Philadelphia, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, among other locations, and point toward ...

April 4, 2008
Keep Track of Crack Cocaine Facts
By Charles D. Stimson and Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1882)
The Department of Justice should collect and regularly publish facts on the effect of new guidelines granting retroactive application of lower prison sentences.

March 10, 2008
Stolen Identities, Stolen Votes: A Case Study in Voter Impersonation
By Hans A. von Spakovsky
(Legal Memorandum #22)
Contrary to claims made by prominent newspapers and attorneys, in-person voting fraud is a real problem. It is also widespread, as documented in reports and ...

February 14, 2008
Human Trafficking Reauthorization Would Undermine Existing Anti-Trafficking Efforts and Constitutional Federalism
By Brian W. Walsh and Andrew M. Grossman
(Legal Memorandum #21)
The current version of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act would undermine accountability by inviting officials at all levels of government to "pass ...

January 29, 2008
The Stimulus: Extending Unemployment Insurance Is Unnecessary
By James Sherk and Patrick Tyrrell
(WebMemo #1787)
Congress has no economic or policy reasons to extend unemployment benefits.

November 27, 2007
Gang Crime Prevention and the Need to Foster Innovative Solutions at the Federal Level
By Brian W. Walsh
(Testimony )
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Forbes, and members of the committee and subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today on the subject of a ...

November 16, 2007
The U.S. and Mexico: Taking the "Mérida Initiative" Against Narco-Terror
By Ray Walser, Ph.D., and James M. Roberts
(WebMemo #1705)
The United States and Mexico have an opportunity to push forward with their unprecedented and outstanding level of cooperation in the battle against drug traffickers ...

September 17, 2007
The Gang  Abatement and Prevention Act: A Counterproductive and Unconstitutional Intrusion into State and Local Responsibilities
By Erica Little and Brian W. Walsh
(WebMemo #1619)
The best way to combat gang crime is to adhere to the principles of federalism by respecting the allocation of responsibilities among national, state, and ...

August 28, 2007
The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
Capital punishment produces a strong deterrent effect that saves lives, and little evidence suggests that the death penalty treats minorities unfairly.

June 6, 2007
Executive Summary: Gang Crime: Effective and Constitutional Policies to Stop Violent Gangs
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Erica Little
(Executive Summary #LM20)
Executive Summary: To address gang-related crime appropriately, the national government should adhere to federalist principles and limit itself to tasks that are within its constitutionally ...

June 6, 2007
Gang Crime: Effective and Constitutional Policies to Stop Violent Gangs
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Erica Little
(Legal Memorandum #20)
To address gang-related crime appropriately, the national government should adhere to federalist principles and limit itself to tasks that are within its constitutionally designed sphere ...

June 5, 2007
Federalizing "Gang Crime" Remains Counterproductive and Dangerous
By Erica Little and Brian W. Walsh
(WebMemo #1486)
If Congress is serious about addressing gang crime, it should consider policies that build upon, rather than undermine, federalism.

March 14, 2007
Federal Law Enforcement Grants and Crime Rates: No Connection Except for Waste and Abuse
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Erica Little
(Backgrounder #2015)
Despite the claims of some mayors and police chiefs that crime will worsen if Congress does not restore funding for local police officer salaries and ...

February 12, 2007
Changing Crime Rates: Ineffective Law Enforcement Grants and the Prison Buildup
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1355)
Recent reports of elevated crime rates have led commentators and public officials to speculate about what factors are to blame. Social scientists need time to ...

September 22, 2006
Federalizing "Gang Crime" Is Counterproductive and Dangerous
By Erica Little and Brian W. Walsh
(WebMemo #1221)
Proposed legislation would undermine federalism and retard law enforcement.

May 26, 2006
Impact Evaluation of COPS Grants in Large Cities
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #06-03)
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforce­ment Act of 1994 authorized the creation of an intergovernmental grant program within the U.S. Department of Justice to ...

March 21, 2005
North American Transnational Youth Gangs: Breaking the Chain of Violence
By Stephen Johnson and David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1834)
Policymakers can help to stabilize gang neighborhoods through migration reforms, by denying time and space to delinquent activities, and by increasing coordination between law enforcement ...

February 15, 2005
Sentencing in a Post-Booker World - It's Deja Vu All Over Again
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
Since 1987, Federal defendants have been sentenced under a determinate sentencing system intended to enhance uniformity and consistency by accounting for the so-called "real offense" ...

February 11, 2005
Federal Prosecution Policy and the Attorney-Client Privilege
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
When confronted with a conundrum of the sort presented by the Department of Justice's policy on attorney-client privilege waiver, it is useful, in my view, ...

November 17, 2004
Sentencing In A Post-Booker And Fanfan World
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
At the risk of sounding somewhat overly dramatic, we are, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, engaged in a great civil debate to decide whether the current ...

May 5, 2004
Aiding Terrorists - An Examination of the Material Support Statute
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
.  I have said often since September 11 that the civil liberty/national security question is the single most significant domestic legal issue facing America today, ...

May 3, 2004
The Gang Act Needs Modification
By Paul Rosenzweig
(WebMemo #494)
As it is framed, the Act would continue the dangerous trend toward the federalization of local crime and the substitution of federal resources for state ...

March 19, 2004
Anti-Terrorism Efforts, Civil Liberty
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
The challenge of maintaining the balance between security and constitutionally protected freedoms inherent in responding to the threat of terror, in the particular context of ...

March 17, 2004
The Transportation Security Adiminstration's CAPPS II
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
The civil liberty/national security question is the single most significant domestic legal issue facing America today, bar none.  And, as is reflected in my testimony ...

February 18, 2004
The Determinants of Sentencing in Pennsylvania: Do the Characteristics of Judges Really Matter?
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-02)
How does adding more minority and women judges affect the administration of justice? Using a Tobit regression model and controlling for such factors as the ...

December 9, 2003
When it comes to COPS, USA Today Got it Wrong
By David B. Muhlhausen
(WebMemo #381)
Right from the first sentence, a recent USA TODAY article defending the federal government's Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program contained some misleading information and some ...

December 9, 2003
Congress is Set to Overspend Taxpayer Dollars on the Wasteful COPS Program
By David B. Muhlhausen
(WebMemo #382)
As a prominent example of government inefficiency, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Congress proposes to fund COPS at a level of 4.6 ...

November 12, 2003
Sentencing Authority and the Separation of Powers: "Who Decides Sentences at the Front End?"
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
Sentencing Authority and the Separation of Powers: "Who Decides Sentences at the Front End?"

July 16, 2003
GAO Critiques Research Touting COPS Program Effectiveness
By David B. Muhlhausen
(WebMemo #313)
A new General Accounting Office (GAO) study, reviewing an Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) funded self-evaluation, casts doubt on claims on the effectiveness ...

April 23, 2003
Why the Bush Administration Is Right on COPS
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Backgrounder #1647)
The Bush Administration's budget for fiscal year 2004 recommends major changes at the U.S. Department of Justice. Among the Administration's proposals are that hiring grants ...

March 26, 2003
Sentencing of Corporate Fraud and White Collar Crime
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
Criminal sentencing should reflect the distinction between those who act and those who are vicariously responsible for the acts of others, and reserve the more ...

February 19, 2003
Why the Bush Administration is Right on the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
By David B. Muhlhausen
(WebMemo #211)
The Administration's budget recommendation to cut funding for this ineffective program is consistent with its goal of funding only those federal programs that pass the ...

August 12, 2002
How Congress Can Improve Its Financial Support for Law Enforcement
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Executive Memorandum #827)
Congress and the Administration should continually review law enforcement programs.  They should redirect the funding of any program that has been unproductive--especially at a time ...

June 19, 2002
Sentencing and Enforcement of White Collar Crimes
By Paul Rosenzweig
(Testimony )
Sentencing and Enforcement of White Collar Crimes, Testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs by Paul Rosenzweig

May 22, 2002
Will the Bush Administration Hold the Line on COPS?
By David B. Muhlhausen and Ralph Rector
(Backgrounder #1550)
Now that the budget debate has shifted to the appropriating committees of Congress, the President must hold the line on his goal of retargeting the ...

April 5, 2002
Research Challenges Claims of COPS Effectiveness
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Center for Data Analysis Report #02-02)
The COPS program, when tested by social science methods, was not shown to be an effective crime-fighting program; nor has it fulfilled its measurable goal ...

April 1, 2002
How Congress Can Fund Efficient Crime Programs and Still Fight Terrorism
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Executive Memorandum #808)
The best way to fund anti-terrorism programs is for Washington to shift dollars away from duplicative, unproven, or demonstrably ineffective programs.

March 7, 2002
Evaluation of Effectiveness within the Office of Justice Programs
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Testimony )
Impact evaluations offer significant benefits for society because they measure how programs effect the social conditions they are designed to improve.

December 5, 2001
Making America's Streets Safer: The Future of the COPS Program
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Testimony )
Based on the Heritage Foundation study of the COPS program and similar efforts, Senator Biden's bill to reauthorize the COPS program, S. 924, will do ...

October 24, 2001
Diversity, Education, and Professionalism: Arlington's Path to Exellence in Policing
By Theron Bowman
(Heritage Lecture #719)
I believe every citizen should have adequate protection. It can happen when you employ a competent, professional, and intelligent work force. Total commitment to higher ...

June 27, 2001
Cómo descentralizar el control y hacer que los oficiales de policía amen su trabajo
By Dean Esserman Editado por Ana I. Eiras
(Heritage Lecture #707)
Cómo descentralizar el control y hacer que los oficiales de policía amen su trabajo

June 27, 2001
Cómo descentralizar el control y hacer que los oficiales de policía amen su trabajo
By Dean Esserman, Editado por Ana I. Eiras
(Economic Freedom Project Report #01-04)
Cómo descentralizar el control y hacer que los oficiales de policía amen su trabajo

June 27, 2001
Cómo descentralizar el control y hacer que los oficiales de policía amen su trabajo
By Dean Esserman y  Editado por Ana I. Eiras
(Economic Freedom Project Report #0104)
Cómo descentralizar el control y hacer que los oficiales de policía amen su trabajo

June 14, 2001
More COPS Funding Will Not Mean More Cops and Less Crime
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Executive Memorandum #752)
Policymakers should promote effective policing activities, not merely increase funding for a program that has failed to achieve its goals.

June 13, 2001
A New Direction in Policing: Changing Old Perceptions with a New Reality
By Joseph J. Santiago
(Heritage Lecture #709)
The future story of our new direction will be told in terms of the police as part of government, not apart from government, working together ...

June 1, 2001
How to Decentralize Control and Get Police Officers to Love Their Jobs
By Dean Esserman
(Heritage Lecture #707)
I think it's about decentralizing; it's about coming in and being flexible. It's about investing in your people, and it's about looking for results.

May 25, 2001
Do Community Oriented Policing Services Grants Affect Violent Crime Rates?
By David B. Muhlhausen
(Center for Data Analysis Report #01-05)
For the past seven years, the most prominent federal crime-prevention initiative has been the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which gives grants to state ...

October 18, 2000
What Taxpayers Should Ask About COPS
By Dexter Ingram
(Executive Memorandum #701)
Three recent reports indicate that the COPS program has fallen far short of its stated goals.

September 25, 2000
The Facts about COPS: A Performance Overview of the Community Oriented Policing Services Program
By Gareth Davis, David B. Muhlhausen, Dexter Ingram, and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #00-10)
The President's COPS program is expensive, but is it effective?

September 25, 2000
The Facts About COPS: A Performance Overview of the Community Oriented Policing Services Program
By Gareth Davis, David B. Muhlhausen, Dexter Ingram, and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #00-10)
The Facts About COPS: A Performance Overview of the Community Oriented Policing Services Program

August 31, 2000
The Counter-Money Laundering Act: An Attack on Privacy and Civil Liberties
By Scott C. Rayder
(Executive Memorandum #693)
The Counter-Money Laundering Act: Helping to prop up welfare states?

May 2, 2000
Young African-American Males: Continuing Victims of High Homicide Rates in Urban Communities
By Gareth G. Davis and David B. Muhlhausen
(Center for Data Analysis Report #00-05)
Despite a welcome decline in violent crime rates nationwide, African-American males are still dying from criminal homicides at an alarming rate.

March 10, 2000
Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1351)
Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data

March 10, 2000
Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1351)
Congress should collect data on the families of juvenile offenders in order to produce better public policy. 

June 15, 1999
Juvenile Justice: Legislating Without Adequate Oversight of Existing Programs
By Virginia L. Thomas
(Executive Memorandum #606)
Congress is looking at ways to translate the national debate into tangible improvements in efforts to prevent juvenile crime.

October 28, 1996
How State and Local Officials Can Combat Violent Juvenile Crime
By James Wootton and Robert O. Heck
(Backgrounder #1097)
The war to defeat the growing menace of violent juvenile crime must be fought and won by state and local officials.

October 15, 1996
Cutting Crime and Restoring Order: What America Can Learn from New York's Finest
By William J. Bratton
(Heritage Lecture #573)
"If New York Can Cut Crime by 36%, Why Can't D.C.?"

April 10, 1996
America's Report Card on Reading: A Lesson for Congress and the Taxpayers
By Hirni, James
(FYI #94)

July 5, 1995
How Senator Shelby Would Require Prisoners to Work and Study
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #420)
Senator Shelby wants changes in the prison system. 

March 17, 1995
The Real Root Causes of Violent Crime:  The Breakdown of Marriage, Family, and Community
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1026)
Policymakers at last are coming to recognize the connection between the breakdown of American families and various social problems.

February 22, 1995
Criminals and Getting Truth-in-Sentencing Laws
By John J. Dilulio
(Backgrounder #1020)
Congress should no longer abdicate its responsibility for the human and financial harm done by activist federal judges.

August 2, 1994
The Crime Bill: Few Cops, Many Social Workers
By Hodge, Scott A.
(Issue Bulletin #201)

June 28, 1994
It's Time to Throw the Switch on the Federal Crime Bill
By Bennett, William J.
(Issue Bulletin #196)

June 16, 1994
The Real War on Crime: States on the Front Lines
By Allen, The Honorable George
(Heritage Lecture #495)

June 16, 1994
How the Clinton Administration is Abandoning the War Against Drugs
By John P. Walters
(Backgrounder #989)
BG989:  How the Clinton Administration is Abandoning the War Against Drugs

May 16, 1994
Rhetoric Vs. Reality: A Closer Look At the Congressional Crime Bill
By McNulty, Paul J.
(Issue Bulletin #189)

November 8, 1993
What's Wrong with" the Brooks and Biden Crime Bills (H.R.3131 ,S. 1488,8.1607)
By McNulty, Paul J.
(Issue Bulletin #184)

September 24, 1993
On the Firing Line: Clinton's Crime Bill
By David B. Kopel
(Heritage Lecture #476)
HL476:  On the Firing Line:  Clinton's Crime Bill

June 7, 1993
How States Can Fight Violent Crime: Two Dozen Steps to a Safer America
By Mary Kate Cary
(Backgrounder #944)
BG944:  How States Can Fight Violent Crime: Two Dozen Steps to a Safer America

July 29, 1992
Crime, Poverty and the Family
By The Honorable William P. Barr
(Heritage Lecture #401)
HL401:  Crime, Poverty and the Familiy

July 2, 1992
Guns, Crime, and the Culture War
By Warner, James H.
(Heritage Lecture #393)

June 10, 1991
Fighting Crime: Assessing the Bush and Biden Approaches
By Cowin, Andrew J.
(Issue Bulletin #164)

November 15, 1989
Time To Deal with America's Prison Crisis
By Joel, Dana
(Backgrounder #738)

May 24, 1988
A Guide to Prison Privatization
By Dana Joel
(Backgrounder #650)
BG650:A Guide to Prison Privatization

June 24, 1984
An End Run on Legal Services?
By Butler, Stuart M.
(Executive Memorandum #58)

April 16, 1982
The Criminal Code Reform Act of 1981 (S.1630) Part II: The Debate Mounts
By Calio, Nicholas
(Issue Bulletin #82)

November 10, 1981
The Criminal Code Reform Act of 1981 (S.1630)
By Calio, Nicholas
(Issue Bulletin #72)

July 2, 1980
The Criminal Code Reform Act of 1979 (S. 17222)
By Poole, William T.
(Issue Bulletin #61)

September 28, 1978
The Omnibus Antiterrorism Act
By Francis, Samuel T.
(Issue Bulletin #34)

May 4, 1977
Legal Services
By Uzzell, Lawrence
(Issue Bulletin #3)