Frank Wolf

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in saluting and paying tribute to our esteemed former colleague, the late Edward Madigan. For almost 20 years, Ed Madigan ably served his constituents as the representative for the 15th Congressional District of Illinois. A native of Lincoln, IL, Ed came to the House in 1972 following 6 years in the Illinois House. He quickly earned the respect and admiration of his constituents and colleagues with his devoted service and principled manner. As a member of the House Agriculture and Energy and Commerce Committees, Ed played a key role in formulating public policy, including the crafting of the house-version 1985 farm bill, and health legislation. Ed deservedly earned the reputation as an informed, hard- working Member of Congress who would protect the interests not only of his constituents but the Nation as a whole. Ed was also an active member of the House Republican leadership, serving his colleagues as the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, chairman of the Republican Research Committee, and chief deputy Republican whip. His expertise and knowledge about agriculture and farm programs was renowned, and led to his appointment by President Bush to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture in 1990. As Secretary, Ed continued to work hard on behalf of America, and was instrumental in formulating early plans for the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a friend of Ed's, and having served as his colleague since 1981, I was saddened to learn of his death, and would like to join with my colleagues in expressing my sincerest sympathy to the entire Madigan family. Ed Madigan, however, will always be remembered by those with whom he served, as well as his constituents in the 15th Congressional District of Illinois. Ed was a model legislator and a tireless worker, and his service to our nation is greatly appreciated.

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, how long do residents of the District of Columbia have to endure the sound of gunfire ringing through their neighborhoods? How long will the people of Washington, DC, the Nation's Capital and capital of the free world, fear for their and their children's lives? How long will we tolerate drug sales in broad daylight on street corners in the shadows of the White House and U.S. Capitol dome? Law abiding citizens are prisoners in their own homes for fear of being murdered, raped, assaulted, or robbed. It is a disgrace that the Nation's Capital is a battleground in which law-abiding citizens are losing the fight on crime. It is time to take back the streets of the Nation's Capital. That cannot happen, though, unless we take back control of the Lorton correctional complex. How can we expect the dedicated law enforcement personnel who patrol the streets of Washington to combat crime when we can't control substance abuse, murder, assault, sexual harassment, bribery, and corruption in the D.C. prison system? Without focusing on the violence, drug abuse, corruption, overcrowding and dilapidated facilities at Lorton, the crime problem in Washington can never be adequately addressed. Because I believe, based on conversations with D.C. police and correctional officers, FBI agents, and U.S. attorneys, that the crime problem in our great Federal City is inextricably linked to the reprehensible conditions at Lorton prison, I am introducing legislation, with Representatives Jim Moran and Tom Davis, which addresses these problems. The bill that we are introducing addresses these problems of overcrowding and funding by immediately incarcerating new District of Columbia felons in Bureau of Prisons facilities. Then, within 5 years, all remaining felons in Lorton will have to be turned over to the control of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This will immediately alleviate problems at Lorton and put it on track for closure within 5 years. The D.C. Department of Corrections would still have responsibility for juveniles, misdemeanants, and pretrial detainees. We also set up a commission of locally appointed representatives to help devise a plan for the closure of the Lorton correctional complex. The involvement of the local community is essential is establishing a smooth transition and ensures that local residents will have all their concerns heard. The plan is to identify actions with respect to each of the following: First, the future use of the land on which the complex is located including, if appropriate, plans for a regional park at the site. Second, the need to address the impact on local and regional transportation resources; Third, if appropriate, the transfer of real property and improvements thereon to Federal agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons, for Federal use; Fourth, if appropriate, the disposal of real property or improvements thereon; and Fifth, changes in law or regulation to effect the purposes of this act and the closure of the Lorton correctional complex. [[Page E60]] This legislation is not punitive. It is an effort to make the District a jewel of the Nation. It is an effort by us to extend a hand to the new mayor and city council in an effort to work on a truly bipartisan basis to resolve a long festering problem. This is an effort to give the prisoners at Lorton hope and an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves so that they can become productive members of society. Last, it is an effort to remove a dangerously malfunctioning facility from Virginia which poses concerns for residents of Fairfax and Prince William Counties. I believe that the D.C. Department of Corrections has done a good job with limited resources and my remarks today are not meant in any way to criticize them. I believe, however, that nothing short of radical reform is required. This is not a new issue. I introduced legislation in the 102nd and 103d Congresses to address this problem. Unfortunately, that legislation received little attention. The new Congress, however, presents us with a new opportunity to move this bill. I am now prepared to work with the mayor and city council on embarking on an ambitious plan to stop the revolving crime door at Lorton. It is in the interest of the District of Columbia, Fairfax County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Federal Government to cooperate in resolving the problems at Lorton. As partners, contributing to the reform of this system, these goals can be accomplished. Lorton prison is a finishing school for criminals. Recidivism rates among Lorton inmates have been reported as high as 90 percent. A 1987 U.S. General Accounting Office [GAO] study found that nearly 7 of 10 adult inmates living at Lorton at the time of the study had previously been convicted of a felony offense in the District of Columbia and incarcerated at Lorton. About one-third of the adult inmates have been previously convicted and incarcerated at Lorton more than once. The sample used by the GAO was necessarily restrictive which means figures of recidivism are most likely higher. Inmates should not leave the confines of Lorton prepared with master's degrees in drug trafficking, assault, and murder. Unfortunately, rehabilitation programs such as industry work programs, vocational training programs, GED education programs, and drug rehabilitation programs are woefully inadequate. Instead of participating in rehabilitation programs, many inmates only lift weights or play basketball all day, wander the grounds of the central facility aimlessly and unsupervised, watch mindnumbing hour after mindnumbing hour of television, and perfect their deviant criminal skills. I have made many trips to the prison. Years ago I participated in a prisoner counseling program called Man-to-Man. From that experience I learned that one can't put a man behind bars for years, fail to give him work, fail to give him skills, fail to offer the opportunity for him to educate himself, fail to lend structure to his life and expect him to reemerge a changed person. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt established a commission to study overcrowding at the District of Columbia's jail and to make recommendations to correct overcrowding at the District of Columbia's jail. In providing Congress with the results of that Commission's work in 1909, President Roosevelt wrote: The report sets forth vividly the really outrageous conditions in the workhouse and jail. The overcrowding is great in the workhouse, and greater still in the jail where, of the 600 inmates, 500 are serving sentences in absolute idleness, with no employment and no exercise. * * * It is no longer a question as to what shall be done, but only a question whether something shall be done, for it is quite impossible that the existing condition should continue. The present antiquated and unsatisfactory plan ought not to be considered for a moment. The parallels between the present situation and those described by President Roosevelt in 1908 are remarkable. Today, more than 85 years later, District of Columbia prisoners still serve their sentences in absolute idleness and many of the concerns that led to the establishment of Lorton 85 years ago still exist. Idleness results in unmanageable prisoners. Prison guards fear personal injury; thus they ease the tense situation by allowing prisoners free reign to conduct their daily business. Inmates make unsupervised phone calls to the outside and conduct illegal activity from behind the walls. Inmates control the use of the phones and sell phone time to one another. Inmates are not even required to wear similar prison uniforms. Many youthful offenders view matriculation to Lorton as a right-of- passage. Many of their friends and relatives have passed through the institution and made useful contacts for future criminal activity, thereby perfecting their criminal skills so that, upon release, they are more proficient at exploiting the innocent and vulnerable. In simple terms these individuals are committing serious crimes, serving time at Lorton, leaving Lorton and returning to the District of Columbia to commit more crimes. The news is littered with stories of former residents of Lorton who commit further acts of violence upon release. The Washington, DC, community was horrified by the story of the shooting of veteran D.C. police officer Hank Daley and FBI special agents Martha Dixon Martinez and John Michael Miller at the D.C. police headquarters. The suspect in that senseless shooting served time at Lorton. We were also stunned by the report of the senseless murder of young Meredith Miller in a carjacking outside her Arlington apartment house. One suspect in the murder, who had a record of attempted burglary, unlawful entry, theft, destruction of public property, possession of drugs, and parole violations, had been at Lorton. A number of other serious crimes have been perpetrated by former Lorton residents. While there are many instances of former Lorton inmates wreaking havoc when they are released, there are also many untold stories of dangerous crimes which occur inside the prison. According to court documents, an inmate was playing basketball while wearing a gold chain around his neck worth $1,200, two diamond rings worth $300 a piece, and a watch worth $100. When the inmate left the gymnasium, he was accosted by two masked inmates, was stabbed and robbed. It is unthinkable, unbelievable, irresponsible, and totally inappropriate that this inmate had jewelry in the first place, and second that this violent attack even occurred. Originally, Lorton was designed as a workcamp for misdemeanants and drunkards, in which men lived and worked side by side in dormitories in an effort to rehabilitate themselves. Today, Lorton's facilities are outmoded, outdated, and its present use is contrary to the purposes for which it was originally intended. The same dormitories which were designed to hold nonviolent, minimum security prisoners currently house up to 150 notoriously dangerous convicts. Making matters worse, these dangerous men are guarded by one unarmed guard. In some circumstances they go unguarded. I have heard story after story of inmates attacking inmates and guards. These are not isolated incidents. Every year, there are many murders, assaults, and malicious woundings in the prison. Drugs are as easy to obtain as procuring them on the street. Guards deal in narcotics or they look the other way--partly because some are corrupt, partly because some don't care, and partly because some know there is little control and they are fearful of a riot. The problems are so bad that there are seven FBI agents and three assistant U.S. attorneys who work on criminal investigations and prosecutions at Lorton. Because the prison budget is so strained, there has been public discussion that District officials may consider closing one facility, thereby exacerbating overcrowding and its related dangers. They may close several guard towers, they may return hundreds of felons now in Federal facilities on a reimbursable basis and other States' facilities to Lorton, or may cut back further on staff. I believe the time is right and the time is now for Congress to address these important issues in partnership with the mayor and city council, and solve these daunting problems. Mr. Speaker, clearly this reform agenda is ambitious. This situation is such that it requires a bold new direction. President William Howard Taft, who succeeded Theodore Roosevelt as President, commented on the D.C. jail in 1909: It is a reproach to the National Government that almost under the shadow of the Capitol dome prisoners should be confined in a building destitute of the ordinary decent appliances requisite to cleanliness and sanitary conditions. That condition, and worse still exists today at Lorton. This bill is the first step in the process to reform D.C. prisoners, combat crime in the District, and renew Washington, DC. Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to reiterate my intention to reach out to all the interested parties to forge a win-win proposal for the District, Virginia, and the inmates who live in Lorton. I would like to thank all those people who are working toward this common goal, including William Moschella of my staff who has worked tirelessly for several years on a solution to this challenging problem.