 Certificates to them, Lois. Thank you. Teresa Saldana, an actress who was stabbed nearly to death by a deranged fan. Last year, she relived her attack in a network movie exposing millions of viewers to the life-wrenching impact of violent crime. She recently founded a nationwide self-help group called Victims for Victims. Teresa, congratulations. Please meet Carol DeLuca, a woman who was sexually abused by her father from ages 5 to 14. Because Carol can confront incest and other crimes from which so many other people recoil, she has become one of the best counselors in the Tucson Victim Advocate Program. Carol, I would like you to meet two courageous victims of spouse abuse. For years, Karen Robinson endured her husband's beatings because she was too terrified to leave and knew of nowhere to go. Thanks to Karen's stewardship of a network of public and private programs, victims of family violence in Alaska now know they do indeed have somewhere to turn. Despite almost daily assaults by her husband, Cecile Laurentitis received no help from law enforcement. She has since crusaded to pass laws in Connecticut and enforced the notion that victims of spouse abuse are not simply victims of a failed marriage. They are victims of a crime and deserve the law's full protection. I would like you to meet Patty Linbaugh. Her two-year-old granddaughter was molested, mutilated, and murdered by a pedophile released six weeks earlier from a California mental hospital, although he had freely admitted to molesting over 150 children. To spare other families a similar nightmare, Patty founded Society's League Against Molesters. Patty. And lastly, I want to introduce to you Sharon Kamlos. Sharon was driving down a Florida highway when someone pulled alongside of her and fired a shot that blinded her for life. Pretending to offer his help, her assailant kidnapped, raped, and stabbed her, then left her to die. Sharon now works for Crime Stoppers International and other groups because as she often says, this man took my eyesight and 11 hours of my life. I'm not giving him one minute more. Sharon, for honorees, our victims turn victors. Mr. Attorney General, Senator Thurman and guest, thank you. I think through this gathering of courageous, committed people, the victims of crime in America know that we care. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Attorney General. Thank you very much, Lois. I am happy to see that we have been joined by Senator Paula Hawkins. Senator, we appreciate you being with us too. Ladies and gentlemen, I think as Lois read the accounts of what these victims have been through, you recognize that these are not pretty stories. They're not the kinds of things you normally see on television. But I think they perhaps graphically depict what being a crime victim is all about and why this is such an important observance today and why this must be one of the priorities in our fight against crime, the prevention and control of crime, and why the Department of Justice, along with the other agencies of the government, in partnership with the private sector, are committed to recognizing victims, both present and potential, in our crime prevention and control activities. Be joining us, and he will have his own message on the subject. Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Thank you. Please, sit down. I was worried that it'd be too cold out here for this service. Well, it's a pleasure to welcome all of you here today to the White House, if that hasn't already been done. Attorney General Meese, members of the Congress, and our very special guests here. Since our first days in office, the problem of crime has been a major concern of this administration, even while we had to act immediately to deal with the twin crises of a declining economy and a jeopardized national defense. Making our homes and streets safe again remained among our highest priorities. At the time we took office, government was bloated and had taken on responsibilities in areas where it was neither competent nor needed. Yet, at the same time, government was failing in its most legitimate and important functions, particularly preserving domestic order and protecting society from those who would prey on the innocent. In the past few years, we've seen a return to the values that are basis for a free and adjust society. The belief that right and wrong matters, that individuals are responsible for their actions, and that punishment must be swift and sure for those who transgress against the rights of their fellow citizens. It was such values and beliefs that guided us when we took office. In the early years of this administration, we launched a massive attack on the illegal drug trade and on the infrastructure of organized crime, achieving a leap in the number of prosecutors and agents who were assigned to these cases. In the number of drug cases filed, in the number of drug convictions, we appointed judges who understood that the innocent members of society have a right to be protected from criminal offenders. We achieved some of the most significant anti-crime legislation in our history, accomplishing desperately needed reforms in parole and sentencing procedures and in a wide variety of other areas, reforms that will make life tougher for career criminals and easier for the law abiding. Indeed, we need to make life tough for many criminals as is illustrated in the fact that the median time served for the crime of murder is five years, three months, and for rape, two years, nine months. This is intolerable. At the local and state level too, the voice of the people was heard. States passed tough new sentencing requirements, judges or prosecutors who were lax in their duty were held up to public scrutiny and communities and neighborhoods began a new era of cooperation with law enforcement to protect lives and liberty. And the outcome of all this is now clear. As you've already heard, crime is down significantly and for the first time it's down for three successive years. The first time that has ever happened. I know there are some who claim this is merely a reflection of demographic trends that there's less crime now because there are fewer members of our society who are in the crime prone age group. But a coincidence is not a causation. For example, making here during the 1960s, crime rose at a much faster rate than did the crime prone age group. Between the years 1976 and 1981, the number in the crime prone age group rose by less than 1%, yet violent crime rose by over 35%. A critical reason for the rise in crime in past years was a failure to administer prompt and sure justice. During the 1960s, the likelihood of being imprisoned if arrested for a serious crime fell by 75%. In recent years, these figures have turned around. The likelihood of going to prison now is almost twice as high as it was in 1970. It's a fact that many thousands more career criminals are being imprisoned today than in 1970. That fact must be acknowledged and its meaning understood. It's happening because our criminal justice system is responding to the public outcry over crime. It's happening because we're doing more to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. And that's why today our homes, our families, and our societies are safer. The real explanation then for the decline in crime can be found right where the credit for America's social progress can usually be found. The resolve of the American people to speak out, to make their voices heard, to demand justice. There's no better example of this resolve than the work of those that we honor here today who have worked with their fellow citizens to bring public attention to the plight of the victims of crime. I'm proud that this administration led the way in passing new legislation and new programs for the victims of crime. But most of all, I share the pride of all Americans today in honoring those who have, through their work, for the victims of crime turned anguish and fear into constructive action. I want to salute Teresa Saldana, Carol De Lucha, Karen Robinson, Cecile Laurinitis, Patty Leinbaugh, and Sharon Kamloz. Each of you rose above the fear and the frustration that all victims of crime must face. You turned terrible moments in your lives into something beneficial and helpful to your fellow Americans. You used your suffering so that others would suffer less. This was a noble thing to do, and for this, our nation owes you all thanks. On behalf of the American people, I want to extend to each of you our gratitude for your patriotism and your selflessness. And now, I would like to sign the Victims of Crime Week proclamation. Sharon Kamloz was born in partnership with Florida and from Memphis, Patty Leinbaugh. Society's League Against Moesters, Carol De Lucha, and Incest Survival. And I miss her now, too. Good day. Well, thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for being with us today to disclose the observance.