Congressional leaders justify the proposed legislation by incorrectly characterizing today's adolescents as more violent than in the past and by ignoring the implications of placing young offenders in adult prisons. The proposals also ignore the geographic concentration of violence and provide few substantive measures for reducing the availability of guns or addressing gang violence in a comprehensive manner. The current legislation avoids investment in cost-effective prevention measures and focuses only on violence after the damage has been done. However, researchers and practitioners believe that addressing family, neighborhood, school, and employment issues is integral to reducing and preventing crime. Most legislators also realize that public safety cannot be achieved through punishment alone; policies that focus only on added punishment are costly. Reference notes