NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Advancing Frequent and Tailored Education to Rebuild Safe Communities and Help Orchestrate Opportunities and Learning (AFTER SCHOOL) Act and the Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act to reduce juvenile crime and crack down on carjacking by removing barriers to bringing federal prosecutions:

“We need to make it easier for law enforcement, local school districts, and federal prosecutors to combat and prevent juvenile crime, violent offenses, and carjackings,” said Senator Blackburn. “My AFTER SCHOOL Act would give localities direct access to the tools they need to keep kids off the streets and on the right path. At the same time, the Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act would fix a broken statute, empowering federal prosecutors to hold offenders accountable and make our streets safer for Tennesseans and all Americans.”

The AFTER SCHOOL Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

AFTER SCHOOL ACT

• Violent crime among juveniles has been on the rise after decades of decline.

• Much of the crime committed in Memphis is driven by juvenile offenders, who are committing more and more aggravated assaults, robberies, and carjackings against innocent city residents;

• In 2023 Shelby County saw a staggering 4,546 juvenile charges, up 37% from 2021;

• Nashville has experienced a similar rise in juvenile crimes;

• The number of juveniles arrested in D.C. has gone up each year since 2020, with more than 2,000 arrested in 2023 and 2024.

• The gap of time after school and before their parents get home is prime time for violent behavior among youth, and the four hours following the end of the school day (around 2:00 to 6:00 PM) is typically the peak of violent crime.

• The AFTER SCHOOL Act would establish a grant program administered through the U.S. Department of Justice for localities to receive funds to establish, maintain, and strengthen after school programs proven to reduce juvenile crime and recidivism.

• School districts can apply for grant funds if their county’s juvenile offense rate exceeds 10% of total violent offenses.
  
  
• The Memphis City Council previously passed a resolution in support of the AFTER SCHOOL Act.

Click here for a list of Tennessee officials and advocates who have previously endorsed the AFTER SCHOOL Act.

Click here for bill text.

FEDERAL CARJACKING ENFORCEMENT ACT

• Last year, Tennessee was ranked among the top ten states for motor vehicle thefts, and Tennessee saw a nearly 200% increase in auto theft crime by juveniles in 2023.

• The current federal carjacking statute requires prosecutors to prove defendants had an “intent to cause death or bodily harm,” which has made it harder to bring federal carjacking prosecutions and accounts for the decrease in federal carjacking prosecutions in certain parts of the country.

• The Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act would fix this drafting error by requiring prosecutors only have to prove the knowing taking of a motor vehicle.

• In cases in which death results following a carjacking, the bill would maintain the higher “intent to cause death or bodily harm” requirement.

The Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act is endorsed by the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.