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monday, September 28, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 107 no. 24
Copyright Daily Nebraskan 1981
Handgun bill is easy answer
to tough problem-Chambers
By D.L. Horton
The vice chairman of the Nebraska
Legislature's Judiciary Committee said he
will not support a proposed bill to provide
mandatory sentences for people convicted
of possessing a deadly weapon in the com
mission of a crime.
Sen. Ernest Chambers of Omaha called
the bill one of the "charades' lawmakers
use to make citizens think the Legislature
is doing something about crime.
The bill, to be introduced by Sen. Rex
Haberman of Imperial, would provide man
datory sentences for anyone possessing a
deadly weapon during the commission of a
crime, regardless of whether it was used or
even shown. It would also forbid plea bar
gaining or any reduction of the sentence,
including parole and probation.
Haberman said this would make people
"think twice" before using a deadly
weapon. He said the bill would provide
more of a deterrent than a waiting period
to buy or register handguns.
The senators engaged in a verbal
sparring match during the sparsely attend
ed hearing. Chambers said Haberman was
looking for an easy solution to a complex
problem.
Chambers said the bill could conflict
with existing laws and could be uncon
stitutional. He said the bill would force
county attorneys to file a charge they may
not feel applies.
Chambers said mere possession under
the bill becomes as bad as if the person had
used the weapon. He used the example of
someone shoplifting with a knife in their
purse. They would be guilty of a misde
meanor but could be sent to prison under
the bill.
Chambers also said the bill could get
the state in trouble with the federal court
system by overcrowding prisons. He noted
several states have been ordered to release
prisoners because of overcrowding. He
asked Haberman if he was ready for that.
"Five in a three-man cell is fine with
me, and eight in a two-man cell is fine with
me," Haberman said. "I would support
legislation to build more prisons and to fill
them."
He said citizens would also support this
if the proper commodities were taxed to
pay for prisons. He suggested taxing liquor
and cigarettes.
Ernie Fellows of Grand Island testified
in favor of the bill. He said he was' a "con
cerned citizen" who felt crime on the
street was bad enough to call for this type
of legislation. Fellow said, "I'm willing to
pay for it."
The bill would provide a mandatory
two-year sentence for the first offense, a
minimum five-year sentence for the second
offense and 30 years for subsequent
offenses and the chance of a habitual
criminal conviction that could mean life
imprisonment.
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Photo by Jerry McBride
As traffic rides off into the sunset, a telephoto lens compresses several blocks of
South Street.
Solutions sought for nationwide prison problem
By Joe Kreizinger
Building new prisons and expanding existing facilities is
a national trend which may be short-sighted and could
make the crime control situation worse, said Chris Esk
ridge, assistant professor of criminal justice.
Eskridge said the Attorney General's Task Force on
Violent Crime, co-chaired by former U.S. Attorney Gen
eral Griffin Bell and Governor James Thompson of Illinois,
recently released their findings regarding the crime situa
tion. Eskridge said the task force decided the building of
new prisons and the conversion of military bases to pris
on facilities would best serve the nation's needs.
Eskridge said he disagrees with this finding.
"Agreed, prison is the best place for some," Eskridge
said, "but there is a certain paradox existing that people
are not aware of: that is that prison often aggravates the
problem.
"A person who has been in prison is often quicker to
commit a new offense when released."
Eskridge said the national average cost to keep one indi
vidual institutionalized for one year is between $12,000
and $14,000. With the building and renovation of facili
ties, this could increase the estimates to $20,000 per year.
"Twenty thousand dollars is a huge amount of money
to incarcerate someone," Eskridge said, "especially when
that person may come out w6rse."
Crime control
Eskridge said increasing prison sizes and numbers are
popular because the nation is in the "crime-control"
sector of what is known as the crime model.
He explained there are two basic sides to the crime
model - the concepts of crime control and of due process.
Due process peaked in the 1960s with the relaxation of
drug laws and massive movements for the rights of the in
dividual, Eskridge said.
He said the crime model fluctuates from crime control
to due process, but added the trend is shifting steadily to
crime control, which depends on stricter law enforcement
and harsher sentences. x
Eskridge said community-based programs such as half
way houses may offer some solutions to trie problem.
Other possible solutions Eskridge suggested included an
increased use of restitution, fine schedules, probation and
using more volunteers for rehabilitation purposes.
"These alone certainly will not solve the problem,"
Eskridge said. "But they would be a-much more humane
and certainly more economical plan."
Pre-trial release
Eskridge said that one aspect which must be taken into
consideration is that of pre-trial release. He said the major
ity of people who are imprisoned before trial need not be.
Eskridge said many inmates are being detained prior to
trial for minor violations, such as traffic tickets.
"This accounts for large expenses," Eskridge said. "It
also often exposes a young person to situations he would
otherwise not have been exposed to."
Eskridge said there is hope in the future that the nation
will adopt a more "progressive" outlook on crime.
"The days of the '60s are gone," Eskridge said. "It will
become more economically feasible to cut down on pris
on numbers. We no longer will be able to spend millions
of dollars on new correctional institutions. Then we will
be forced to look for alternatives."
Clinic to counsel Vietnam vets
By Patty Pryor
An outreach clinic designed to provide counseling ser
vices and peer support for Vietnam veterans is scheduled
to open in about two months, said Guy Lossing,. admini
strative assistant to the chief of staff at the Veterans Ad
ministration Medical Center.
The clinic, however, will be separate from the medical
center and the VA office, he said.
"It will be located at 1240 N. 10th St., in a sort of
duplex structure which is zoned for business," Lossing
said. "We'll occupy about two-thirds of the building, and
another business uses the other part periodically."
Isolation from the VA regional office is essential in
reaching those veterans who otherwise would not benefit
from counseling services, he said.
"A lot of Vietnam vets really don't like to deal with
the bureaucratic system," Lossing said, "and let's face it,
the regional offices are part of this system.
"The clinic is designed to be placed in the community,
remote from the hospital and the regional office itself so
they don't have to deal with the system.
'The whole concept is to reach into the community
and help vets who would not normally come into the
bureaucratic system, because they feel that the bureau
cracy is not responsible to their specific needs."
The counseling, which will include individual sessions
as well as group interaction, is guided by two basic priorit
ies, Lossing said.
The first is a need to treat more serious psychological
and readjustment problems involved with delayed stress
syndrome, he said.
The second priority is to help veterans overcome
obstacles in locating employment. This will be done in
conjunction with Nebraska Job Service.
"As the clinic grows, we'll identify employers and
establish personal contacts," he said. "We'll build up a
network over a period of time."
The clinic will be staffed by two full-time counselors
and a receptionistcounselor, Lossing said.
Both counselors are Vietnam veterans and have worked
at a similar storefront clinic in Omaha.
Lincoln was chosen as a site for a new clinic partly be
cause of overflow at the Omaha facility, he said.
At times, there have been as many as 100 Vietnam vet
erans coming to Omaha from Lincoln for treatment, he
added.
The opening of a Lincoln clinic is the direct result of
Congressional hearings which determined a great demand
for counseling designed specifically for Vietnam-era vet
erans, Lossing said.
The center will not open until word is received from
the VA central office in Washington, D.C., which coordin
ates the opening so it will mesh with plans at the national
level, he added.
The clinic is one of 42 counseling facilities to open
nationwide, for which Congress has authorized $29.6
million. This will bring the total number of centers in the
country to 133.
"I think that the program's philosophy is very good,"
Lossing said. "It meets the needs of a significant number
of the vet population, and if this is what is needed to pro
vide the necessary counseling, I'm all for it."
DODSO'
o
ondiay
Railroad Efficiency: Richard Bressler, Burlington North
ern president, discusses the abandonment of unprofit
able railroad branch lines '. ; Page 6,
Fumbled Away: Nebraska fumbled the ball six times Sat
urday and dropped to 1-2 on the season with a 30-24
loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions Page 8
Rude Boy: Rude Boy, a documentary look at The Clash,
will be shown at Sheldon Film Theater Page 10