(Washington, DC)— Congresswoman Diane E. Watson (CA-33rd) delivered the following statement in response to former Secretary of Education William Bennett’s recent comments on reducing crime in America:

“William Bennett believes that you can reduce the crime rate in the United States by aborting every black baby.  In his mind this is a truism if crime reduction is your only goal.

“Mr. Bennett’s chilling statement, made during a syndicated radio broadcast on the Salem Radio Network, indicates a political philosophy and a belief.  It is a philosophy and belief that is as absurd as it is genocidal.  It is a philosophy and belief that reflects the violent nature of American society – a nation with the highest incarceration and murder rate of all the industrialized nations.  It is a philosophy and belief that, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, once again lays bare the lingering legacy of racial inequality in the United States.
 
“Mr. Bennett, who is the former Secretary of Education and an educator himself, should be more aware than most that his analogy would be inflammatory.  Mr. Bennett, who is a nationally recognized conservative critic, should be more aware than most that words are ideas that can take on a life of their own.  And Mr. Bennett, a crusader for the importance of morality and character in public life and the author of The Book of Virtues, should be most aware that thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, and habits become character.

“But what’s even more absurd is that Mr. Bennett’s hypothesis, as crazy as it is, does not tell the real story about crime in the United States.

“According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, of the men and women behind bars approximately 44% are black, 35 % white, and 18% Hispanic. Whites, however, make up almost 70% of all persons arrested and 60% of those arrested for violent crime.

“So why the disparity between whites arrested and whites imprisoned?  Could it have to do with the fact that poorer defendants, often people of color, are more likely to be the recipients of substandard legal representation?   Could it be the fact that defendants of color–and for that matter white defendants with no resources–often receive harsher sentences that land them in prison?  Could it be the fact that one of the biggest reasons for the exploding prison population in the U.S. is the result of mandatory sentencing of non-violent offenders for drug related charges?  And could it be the fact that blacks represent 63% of all drug offenders admitted to state prisons, but the percentage of whites admitted for drug offenses is significantly lower?

“The simple fact of the matter is that getting justice in America or staying out of jail still has too much to do with the color of your skin and the color of the green in your pocket.  It often means the difference between doing time at the Betty Ford Clinic or sitting on a cot in a cell at Folsom State Prison.  Now that’s not virtuous.

“William Bennett demonstrates no remorse for his outlandish comments.  He has become part of the problem, not part of any humane solution.”