DATE: Wednesday, October 15, 1997           TAG: 9710170917

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Election '97 

                                            LENGTH:  359 lines

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

The issue:

Virginia Beach is the safest big city in America, according to FBI statistics. Chesapeake, which falls into the next population category, boasts even fewer major crimes.

Portsmouth, which rallied neighborhood support against crime, has witnessed an astounding improvement in its violent crime rate. It dropped 29 percent from 1995 to 1996.

Overall, Hampton Roads is a pretty safe place to live. Violent crimes in the region declined from 6.8 per 1,000 residents in 1993 to 5.7 per 1,000 residents last year.

Property crime rates across Hampton Roads also are low, 55.1 per 1,000 residents. That's down from 58.2 per 1,000 residents in 1993.

Many factors have contributed to these good trends. There aren't as many teen-agers and young adults - statistically the most likely to commit such crimes - in the population. Community-based police patrols are now in place in many high crime areas. Jails have been expanded, and a regional facility is being built. Parole has been largely eliminated for repeat offenders, and the state is in the middle of a $389 million prison building project to hold those who will no longer be set free. Violent juveniles are increasingly being tried in adult courts and sent to adult facilities when convicted.

Still, people don't necessarily feel as safe as the statistics might indicate. Public safety continues to be a major concern for Virginia voters and those in Hampton Roads.

The General Assembly decides how to spend Virginia's tax dollars. The House of Delegates can determine whether the money goes to new cells, rehabilitation programs or early intervention to prevent crime.

We asked the contested House candidates their views on public safety and what they intend to do about it.

The question:

Get-tough legislation and additional cops have filled our new jails and prisons, taking criminals off the streets. Is the job done? Are we spending enough on prevention or rehabilitation programs? What is the most important thing you will do as a delegate to make Hampton Roads a safer place?

Next week:

It is increasingly difficult for people to send their children to college. House candidates share their ideas on keeping higher education within the reach of every Virginian. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

AREA STATS

Violent Crime Rates per 1,000 residents, 1996

Virginia Beach, 2.6

Chesapeake, 4.4

Suffolk, 7.2

Norfolk, 9.9

Portsmouth, 10.5

Property Crime Rates per 1,000 residents in 1996

Chesapeake, 42.4

Virginia Beach, 47.6

Suffolk, 53.0

Norfolk, 70.5

Portsmouth, 74.6

Graphic with photos of candidates

76th District

Includes the southern portion of Chesapeake and most of Suffolk.

S. Chris Jones (R)

Some people say we don't have a crime problem. I say until our

schools are drug free, until our families and neighbors can walk

through their neighborhoods without fear, we still have a crime

problem.

Virginia's crime rate is dropping for one reason - the leadership

of Gov. George Allen, Attorney General Jim Gilmore and the

Republicans in the General Assembly who worked to abolish parole,

reform the juvenile justice system and bring truth-in-sentencing to

Virginia.

Spending more money on ``feel-good'' programs to rehabilitate

violent criminals didn't work. There is only one proven crime

prevention program: Incarceration. When violent criminals are behind

bars, they're not on our streets terrorizing our families.

I am no stranger to violent crime. In just the first three years

after opening my pharmacy, I was the target of two armed robberies

and six after-hour burglaries. I know the terror of having your life

threatened at gunpoint.

I believe every Virginian has the right to live, work and raise a

family in a community that is free from the threat of violent crime.

As your delegate, I will work: for tougher penalties for criminals

who use guns; for tougher sentences for drug dealers; for a juvenile

justice system that treats juveniles who commit rape, murder and

robbery as adults; to put an end to gangs by making it a crime to

recruit new members into criminal gangs; and to ensure that Virginia

doesn't backslide on parole reform.

Michelle Degnan (D)

Obviously, the fight against crime is not finished because we

still have crime. We have made a good beginning by showing that we

are tough on crime and by putting criminals into prison because it

is important to keep our communities safe. Simply incarcerating

offenders, however, is not enough. We need to work harder to prevent

people from becoming criminals in the first place, and we need to

educate the prisoners in our jails and prisons so they do not become

repeat offenders. Preventing crime, rather than just punishing

criminals, will best serve Hampton Roads.

One effective method of preventing crime is to continue the trend

toward community policing. Police officers on foot, on bicycles, and

even on horseback can, by their mere presence, make potential

criminals think twice, and these officers can often respond more

quickly and more effectively than officers in patrol cars. Along

with community policing, we need to reinstitute the old-fashioned

truant officer. Young people belong in school where they learn the

skills needed to be productive citizens, not on the street without

adult supervision. They, and we, are safer when they are in a

structured, supervised environment.

What I would like to see implemented, in an effort to prevent

repeat criminals, is a mandatory education component in every

sentence. Statistics show us that most of the people in our prisons

are undereducated. By placing an education component into a

prisoner's sentence, we are providing an alternative to the

potential repeat offender.

79th District

Northern Portsmouth and adjacent precincts in Chesapeake and

Suffolk.

D.R. ``Dan'' Evans (R)

Gov. George F. Allen and Jim Gilmore have done an excellent job

with abolition of parole and truth-in-sentencing reform. Both plans

work to keep criminals in jail. In Portsmouth the problem is getting

them off the streets and into jail in the first place.

Research is now being done about the problems in Portsmouth

courts. The problems found are 30-5 continuances (where trial-lawyer

legislators are allowed to delay trials at will), and the problems

in the commonwealth's attorney's office with getting delayed trials

rescheduled. Both of these problems have allowed criminals to go

free because they could not be brought to trial quickly enough. The

problems must be addressed by an independent prosecutor who has no

ties to Portsmouth's courts.

After cleaning up the courts in Portsmouth, I would do the

following to further protect the people from criminals. One would be

revocation of bond if any violations occur while someone is out on

bail. Another would be our ``Pay to Stay'' plan, which would require

inmates to work for any privileges. The type of work they could do

would be light manufacturing that is currently being done offshore.

It would not take jobs from Virginians, it would bring in income for

the commonwealth, and it would teach the inmates to be productive

citizens.

Since I am a small-business person, not a trial lawyer, the 79th

District voters will have no worries with me invoking 30-5.

Johnny S. Joannou (D)

The question of reducing crime and making our area a safer place

to live is not an easy one. There is no question that a person who

commits a crime must be responsible for his or her actions and must

pay his or her debt to society. Everyone agrees that ``if you do the

crime, you do the time.''

However, reducing crime is a complex question because ignorance

and poverty are the breeding grounds for crime. We must do what is

necessary to ensure that all of our children have access to the best

public education system possible. That is one reason I oppose

charter schools and vouchers. We should not experiment and divert

tax dollars from public schools and away from public education. . .

. Once all of our people receive a quality education and find a

good job that pays a decent wage, then and only then will we begin

to overcome the ignorance and poverty that has led so many of our

young people to a life of crime.

With regard to rehabilitation, I believe it is necessary that we

intensify the literacy programs which we have in order to ensure

that all people in the commonwealth have the ability to read and

write. We must achieve this goal, not only among law-abiding

citizens but also among those who are incarcerated for various

crimes. After a person is released from jail and has paid their debt

to society, they should be in a position to have the ability and

opportunity to obtain a good job and not go back to the same

environment that bred their illicit conduct.

86th District

Covers the northwest corner of Norfolk.

Don Williams (D)

Crime affects all of us, and we all feel vulnerable when a crime

occurs. As I go door to door, I'm finding that residents in all

areas of the 86th District want safer streets. When elected I'll

support Megan's Law, which requires authorities to inform

communities when a convicted child molester moves into their

neighborhood. Parents have the right to know when a sex offender is

in their midst, and parents have the right to protect their

children. Secondly, I'll work to increase the penalties for

stalking. Current penalties for stalking with a weapon are far too

lenient.

I support truth-in-sentencing, and I believe convicted criminals

must serve their full sentences. I also support removing

troublemakers from classrooms so other students can learn. However,

we can't abandon students with disciplinary problems and just turn

them loose on the street. When we do that, we end up with more crime

in our neighborhoods. Students with chronic disciplinary problems

must be placed in alternative classrooms with the structure,

discipline and attention they need to get back on track and not fall

through the cracks.

Parents shouldn't be afraid to let their children play in the

neighborhood, and seniors shouldn't feel vulnerable sitting on their

front porch or taking a walk. I have spent my life working to make

my own neighborhood safer, and I will do the same for the 86th

District. I am proud to have the endorsement of Norfolk's police and

the state and local firefighters.

Beverly ``Bev'' Graeber (R)

Our commonwealth has made great strides toward making our

communities safer places to live. Parole has been abolished.

``Three-strikes-you're-out'' and ``truth-in-sentencing'' guidelines

are in effect. As a result, more criminals have been kept off our

streets and the crime rate has gone down.

While we should be proud of our accomplishments, there's much

more that can be done. As a member of the Crime Prevention

Coalition, I've worked to find new solutions to fighting crime in

our community. We need tougher sentences for stalkers who commit

violent crimes against women and more safe havens for victims of

domestic abuse. We need to pass Megan's Law and stronger mandatory

sentences for drug dealers to protect our children and grandchildren

from those who would prey upon the innocent.

Fighting crime is not enough; we must also prevent it from

occurring. One of my priorities as your delegate will be to

re-engage the war against drugs. Teen-age drug use has risen

dramatically in recent years. We must reverse this trend. Anti-drug

education programs, which bring law enforcement officers into our

schools to teach our children about the harmful consequences of

drugs and crime, must be emphasized. With greater knowledge about

the negative effects of criminal activity, our children will be more

likely to make the right choices and lead productive, law-abiding

lives.

You can count on me to wholeheartedly support law enforcement's

efforts to fight and prevent crime.

87th District

Covers the northeastern corner of Norfolk.

Thelma Drake (R)

As your delegate, it's my duty to be ever vigilant against crime.

Just as our policemen are never truly off duty, I'd never consider

this job done!

My constituents note the alarming frequency and increasingly

vicious nature of juvenile crime. Juvenile drug arrests have

increased 350 percent in Virginia since 1991. Because of the

correlation of drug use to criminal behavior, I propose all juvenile

offenders submit to mandatory drug assessments. Interdiction and

rehabilitation must be provided when warranted. Rehabilitation costs

will be recouped many times over. I remain a staunch advocate of the

DARE program in our public schools, warning our children of the

dangers of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. I also support

measures aimed at overhauling our juvenile justice system.

I co-founded the Northside Block Security Program. Likewise, when

I felt little was being done to combat unlawful behavior in Ocean

View, I formed a task force charged with convincing city officials

to commit the appropriate resources to eradicate this behavior.

Because of citizen efforts and the dedication of the Norfolk Police

Department, we continue to see tremendous improvement.

I've visited penal facilities across the state addressing ways to

reduce the cost of incarceration. Locally, Sheriff Bob McCabe faced

the potential loss of thousands of dollars of deputy salaries. I was

the only Norfolk delegate that came to his aid, ultimately restoring

all of the funding while keeping all of his deputies on the job.

Todd M. Fiorella (D)

The single greatest determinant of success in our society is a

high school diploma. The next is a college degree. Effective crime

prevention starts with a 100-percent commitment to public education.

We need to increase safety and discipline in our classrooms so

that our children can learn without distraction. We need to teach

the skills necessary to become and remain responsible, working

citizens. We also need to expand alternative schools for violent and

disruptive students so that disciplinary expulsions do not add a new

generation of criminals to our list of problems.

Increasing the police presence in our neighborhoods will deter

crime. We have added officers. We need more. As your delegate, I

will fight to increase funding to hire such officers.

We are putting more criminals in jail. Unfortunately, our jails

are expensive and have a limited capacity. We need to stay tough on

crime while remaining attentive to our future needs. We may one day

find ourselves spending more on jails and prisons than we do on

education if we do not give more attention to prevention and

rehabilitation.

We also need to develop a long-term plan to rid our neighborhoods

of drugs and drug-related activity. Many of us have witnessed

vandalism, theft, gang violence and prostitution in our streets.

These crimes are a symptom of the problem, not the cause. We will

not enjoy a safe, crime-free community until we design and implement

an effective campaign against the drugs which draw undesirable

people and activities into our neighborhoods.

88th District

Covers east-central Norfolk, downtown, Ghent and Colonial Place.

G.R. ``Bud'' West (R)

All recent, responsible studies of crime and crime prevention

that I have read revealed that the vast majority of violent crimes

are committed by repeat offenders. Truth-in-sentencing, the standard

of no parole, ``three strikes you're out'' for violent offenders,

and other anti-crime initiatives championed by the Allen-Gilmore

administration have been directly responsible for a marked reduction

in the violent crime rate across the commonwealth. I fully support

these policies that have proven to make our streets safer.

Jim Gilmore also has outlined a new Partnership Against Crime,

Drugs and Gangs, to continue to lower the violent crime rate. Many

suggestions found in this program just make good sense (i.e., making

it against the law to recruit gang members is one of the

suggestions). I believe that this partnership will add to the good

tools we already have, and I support it.

I also believe that we need to investigate the possibility of

alternative forms of punishment (to prison) for some nonviolent

offenders and that we need to carefully review our programs to

provide all first- and second-time offenders with real skills and

job preparation.

Finally, the vast majority of our public school-educated citizens

don't brandish pistols and rob convenience stores, rape, pillage or

commit other violent crimes, no matter where they went to school or

what the conditions of their schools' physical plants were. We must

keep the focus on the real issue: holding people accountable for

their behavior, especially those who commit violent crimes.

Thomas Warren Moss Jr. (D)

We should take little solace in the much-publicized current

reduction in youth crime. Logically, Virginia would be well-served

to invest resources in crime prevention initiatives and

rehabilitation programs that are proven to work. Otherwise, we are

left to build more cells in an attempt to solve our problems after

the crimes are committed.

Currently, we maintain more than 25,000 adult inmates, 9,000

parolees and 26,000 probationers at an annual cost in excess of $580

million. . . . (That) includes $19 million for adult rehabilitation

and $32 million for corrections enterprises (jobs for inmates).

In an attempt to curb juvenile crime at its source, the General

Assembly approved $26.9 million for local funding for juvenile

programs under the juvenile community crime control act.

Additionally, two juvenile boot camps are up and running, and

military-style training through the ``leader'' program is in place

at the Beaumont Youth Facility.

These initiatives are only a small part of the effort Virginia

has made to insure the safety of its citizens. As speaker, I will

continue to make handgun control a priority. I take pride in my role

in the passage of limiting guns to one per month in order to stop

the gun-runners in Tidewater. Most importantly, the establishment of

the Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College, which bears my

name, I believe shows Norfolkians better than anything what my

priority is - education and training, so that our citizens have good

jobs and futures. This will cut crime better than anything. KEYWORDS: CANDIDATES VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE

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