N.Y. GOVERNOR SAYS ROOT CAUSE OF CRIME IS CRIMINALS

NEW YORK -- With a toughly worded speech designed to frame both the
legislative session and his re-election campaign, Gov. George Pataki on
Friday ridiculed the notion that societal factors were to blame for violent
crime and pledged to push for bills this year that would make it easier to
imprison and, in some cases, execute criminals.

Speaking to a group of district attorneys in Manhattan, Pataki described as
"nonsense" the argument that a criminal's actions stemmed from "a
culmination of social factors beyond his control."

"The root causes of crime are the criminals who engage in it," Pataki said
in a 20-minute speech marked with conservative themes. "And I've repeatedly
made that point to the Legislature.

"And I've also made it clear to the members of that distinguished body --
in no uncertain terms -- that we, as servants of the people, are not
charged with carrying out a sociological study. We are charged with
maintaining public order and saving lives."

The governor again urged an abolition of parole for all violent felons. He
said would propose legislation under which people convicted of multiple
misdemeanor drug infractions -- such as selling small amounts of marijuana
in a park -- could be charged with a felony. He said he wanted to make it
easier to impose the death penalty by allowing the families of victims to
make statements to juries, permitting prosecutors to sum up last and
providing jurors with a defendant's complete criminal record. He also said
prosecutors should be allowed to appeal bail or prison terms they
considered too low.

Pataki, speaking Friday at an interview with Gabe Pressman to be aired
Sunday morning on WNBC-TV, predicted that election-year pressures would
make it difficult for Democrats to resist such proposals this year, as they
have often done in the past.

Pat Lynch, the spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, said the
Democratic-controlled Assembly had repeatedly approved criminal justice
initiatives since Pataki took office, including the death penalty. She said
she had no doubt why Pataki was raising these issues now.

"What is offensive about the governor's current statements about crime is
that to many members of our house, he's trying to find a sound bite when
realistic answers are more complicated," Ms. Lynch said. "There's a time to
govern and there's a political season."

As it happened, Pataki's audience Friday included one of the Democrats who
is seeking to challenge him, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes.
Hynes disputed the governor's claim that he deserved credit for the
reduction in crime during his first term.

"He really has as much to do with the crime rate reduction as he has to do
with the bull market -- which is nothing," Hynes said. The Brooklyn
district attorney said that Pataki "obviously is going to make crime an
issue -- and that's fine with me."

Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company