How Bennett Plans to Target Drug Problem
| WASHINGTON
HERE are some components of federal drug control policy director William Bennett's plan to curb drugs and drug-related violence in Washington, D.C. Jail and prison space:
Some 250 inmates now housed at the local jail will be moved to federal prisons. The administration will find excess federal land for construction of a 500-bed pretrial detention facility to be built within one year. The federal Bureau of Prisons will build within two years a 700-bed correctional institution for the Washington-Baltimore area.
Law enforcement:
Expansion of the current task force, which combines federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, to include 57 more people including 25 FBI agents, 11 Drug Enforcement Administration agents, and five intelligence analysts from the Defense Department.
The Pentagon will assign 10 military lawyers to augment the US attorney's staff, and the FBI will provide access to its own information and its laboratory as well as perform forensic examinations of firearms and other evidence found during drug-related murder investigations.
Public housing:
The Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) will ease rules on eviction of drug offenders from US-funded housing projects. HUD, with local police help, will try to revitalize local housing projects by issuing photo identification cards to legitimate tenants, erecting security fences around projects, establishing guarded entrances, and refurbishing projects.
Treatment programs:
The Health and Human Services Department will authorize the National Institute of Drug Abuse to establish three outpatient clinics, providing at least 300 new treatment slots by 1990.
Jobs:
The Labor Department will expand its local summer training and education program, work with private employers to recruit more young people for job-training programs, and grant $100,000 to establish employee-assistance programs for drug abuse in small and medium-sized businesses.
Education:
The Education Department will also expedite applications for additional funds and programs to help the drug education effort.