Crime

WHILE THE NOTION in Hawthorne'sScarlet Letter is long gone from our society, that criminals should wear an indicator of their crimes on their clothing, in many aspects the issue of crime and punishment remains at the forefront of social consciousness. From requiring those convicted of child sex-crimes to register with local officials, to those convicted of driving while under the influence to display different-colored license plates, crime is an issue for many Americans, but not necessarily for legislators and would-be-politicians. While the United States has more people incarcerated than any other country in the world (over 1.5 million), crime and punishment is not always discussed in campaigns. It is often used to discredit the opponent, rather than to address the issue. However, several key issues surface on the campaign trail related to crime.

Government statistics show that crime rates have fallen dramatically and consistently since the early 1990s, but concern over crime is making a comeback [Page 153]with the public. According to the Pew Center for the People and the Press, crime and crime rates have resurfaced as major social issues, particularly among college graduates, women, and young people. About 51 percent of college graduates surveyed indicated that reducing crime rates should be a top priority for Congress and the president, and seven out of 10 (69 percent) of women believed that reducing crime should be a top priority That represents a 13 percent increase over the previous year. There is an interesting parallel to crime rates and campaigns; it is only discussed when the crime rate is very high, and when a candidate in some way can be portrayed as being soft when it comes to crime. This was the case with Governor Michael Dukakis (D-MA) in his election bid for president against George H.W. Bush (R-TX) in 1988.

Dukakis believed and supported a Prison Furlough Program in the state of Massachusetts that allowed prisoners, many with violent records, to be let out of prison on weekends. This honor system program, originally begun under Governor Francis Sargent in 1972, permitted prisoners to furlough in exchange for a promise to be good. When questioned about the furlough program as governor, Dukakis defended the program relentlessly, noting that it was both a management tool and a means of providing hope to prisoners who otherwise would not have any reason for rehabilitation. Dukakis believed so strongly in the furlough program that by March 1987, he had commuted the sentences of 28 first-degree murders. In the run up to the White House, this became a huge issue for Dukakis and political fodder for Bush.

On September 21, 1988, a Political Action Committee that supported Bush (the Americans for Bush Committee) began running a campaign ad entitled “Weekend Passes” about a furlough prisoner from Massachusetts, Willie Horton. On June 6, 1986, Horton was released from the Northeastern Correctional Center in Concord, Massachusetts and never returned from his 48-hour unsupervised furlough. Instead, he savagely attacked a young couple, beating the man and raping the woman, who was his former fiancee. Horton was eventually caught driving a stolen car.

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