NCJ Number
117764
Date Published
1989
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The use of a Massachusetts prisoner's furlough and subsequent attack on a Maryland couple as an issue in the 1988 presidential campaign suggests several lessons for future discussions of crime and punishment.
Abstract
For the short term the use of the Willie Horton case in the campaign will result in a serious setback for the expansion or even the continuation of prison furlough programs. Over the long term, the picture is more mixed, however. The emotion over the issue will not create a receptive environment for reform, but policymakers and the public still face prison overcrowding, litigation, poor conditions, sentencing legislation, and sentencing alternatives. The debate over crime also reflects the contradictory public attitudes, as shown by recent social science research. The Horton campaign simplified a complex problem and presented fearful voters with a simple choice. It shows that election campaigns are difficult forums for rational discussion and that advocates of alternative sentencing must use more appropriate forums. They must also counter the racist perceptions of the crime issue, note that the increasing incarceration of the last decade has failed, and emphasize that the sharp increases in corrections budgets benefit no one. They must also engender support for victim services programs and emphasize the use of marketing in criminal justice reform.