Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409090076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
A group of business and political leaders solicited private donations to put the 30-second spot on the air statewide beginning next week, said Richard Cullen, co-chairman of Allen's commission on abolishing parole.
``I don't take anything for granted, and the governor doesn't take anything for granted,'' Cullen said Thursday. ``I think it's wise for us not to let up.''
Reporters got a sneak preview of the commercial a day after Allen, a Republican, crowed about his plan's ``unprecedented bipartisan support.'' Three-fourths of the state's 140 legislators - who all face re-election next year - signed on as sponsors of Allen's legislation.
Cullen said the commercial will run most of next week and a few days into the week of the special session, which starts Sept. 19.
The spot begins by repeating a few seconds of last fall's Allen campaign commercial promising to abolish parole. The frame freezes, and then Allen steps into the picture. With a piano crescendo in the background, he tells viewers:
``Last November, you voted to abolish Virginia's lenient and dishonest parole system. Now I've sent a bill to the legislature that will double the time served by violent criminals, crack down hard on repeat offenders, bring truth in sentencing and abolish parole.
``But I can't do it myself. I need your help. So please contact your state legislators and tell them to support this plan to protect our families from violent criminals.''
Cullen said he did not believe it was misleading to say that Virginians voted to abolish parole. He said Allen's promise to end parole was a huge factor in his landslide victory, ``and now he wants to deliver on that promise.''
Allen's proposal would abolish parole for crimes committed after Jan. 1 and would require inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. Violent, repeat offenders would have to serve sentences three to seven times longer than they now serve.
Although the list of sponsors on Allen's bill is long, support is far from unanimous. Only one member of the General Assembly's black caucus is listed as a bill patron. U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Newport News, the state's only black congressman, has been a vocal critic.
Leaders of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also oppose the plan, which they say would disproportionately affect black inmates.
At a ``crime prevention forum'' sponsored by Scott on Wednesday night, several national criminal justice experts said efforts to get tough on crime don't work. They called for more crime prevention programs aimed at children and youths.
by CNB