mr. chairman , i come reluctantly before you to re-express my desire to protect all our children from predators , and i am confident that i speak for all members when we say that each new abduction brings a concern , an outrage that we all feel . 
child molesters prey on those that are most vulnerable in our society , and we must stop them . 
but how can we stop them if we are primarily creating 36 new mandatory minimum criminal penalties that are completely arbitrary , that have been shown to be ineffective at reducing crime , and a consummate waste of taxpayer money ? 
but that is not the only reason . 
thanks to mandatory minimum sentences , almost 10 percent of all inmates in the federal and state prisons are serving life sentences , an 83 percent increase since 1992 . 
in two states , new york and california , 20 percent of the people in prison are serving life sentences . 
and what do we have to show for these statistics ? 
well , a system that currently houses more than 2 million americans , almost four times the number of individuals incarcerated in 1985 , at a cost of $ 40 billion to run and operate . 
we create additional new death penalty eligibility offenses . 
this spring , 120 death row inmates were exonerated due to proof of their innocence . 
so , in the end , if we are truly serious about protecting our children from acts of sexual exploitation and violence , we have got to turn to prevention . 
we have got to use preventative solutions that really try to get to the root of the problem instead of after-the-fact criminal penalties that do not address the issue . 
do these sick people check the statutes to find out what the newest penalties are or whether they are mandatory or not or whether they can carry additional incarceration terms ? 
i doubt it . 
finally , we have people that have written , professionals , scientific researchers treatment professionals , child advocates , who have serious reservations about this measure , h.r. 3132 . 
from the center on child abuse and neglect , the editor-in-chief on child maltreatment , the journal of american professional society of the abuse of children , the director of crimes against children research center , the national crime victims research and treatment center , dr . 
friedrich of the mayo clinic and mayo medical school , from the board of directors association of the treatment of sexual abusers , all these letters have poured in urging that we put more prevention into this measure rather than less . 
please let us turn this measure back . 
