Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 23, 1995 TAG: 9508230060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY AND DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Republican candidate for the House of Delegates from Roanoke County has already embraced the idea of allowing school boards to contract with private groups to operate experimental "charter schools" within the public school system.
On Tuesday, she suggested that the charter school plan - which Democrats charge would undermine the public school system - could be used to fight crime, too.
"If charter schools are a good thing, I think I'd like to see charter military schools," she said. "There are a number of kids who fall through the cracks in public schools because they need more structure. The problem is, many families can't afford a private military school education."
But military schools operated through the public school system would, like all charter schools, be free of charge, she said.
Averill made her suggestion following a fund-raising luncheon at the Hotel Roanoke, where Attorney General Jim Gilmore portrayed her opponent, House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke, as uninterested in fighting crime.
Gilmore charged that Cranwell didn't embrace a Republican-sponsored "three strikes and you're out" bill to put three-time felons behind bars for life. "Delegate Cranwell could have spoken up for the bill," Gilmore said. "He's a leader, theoretically."
And Gilmore upbraided Cranwell for not initiating efforts to abolish parole, even though Cranwell did vote for Gov. George Allen's parole abolition program.
"Where was the drive to do that before?" Gilmore asked. "He's a so-called leader, majority leader ... It seems to me Delegate Cranwell hasn't done a lot of leading, actually, and only recently has been following the train, the Republican train."
Averill used the fund-raiser to embrace a number of conservative ideas on fighting juvenile crime. Except for her call for public military schools, her ideas emphasized punishment rather than prevention.
"Prevention is very important," she said, "but what I really believe in is boot camps [for first-time nonviolent juvenile offenders]. I want to push that and hope that will give them a second chance."
But juveniles who commit a violent crime should be jailed, Averill said. "It is the only way to make our streets safe again."
Averill also called for opening juvenile criminal proceedings to the public and trying and sentencing all juveniles charged with violent crimes as adults.
Cranwell was out of town Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
Making crime pay
Newell Falkinburg should consult with his Republican mentors the next time he tries to score political points by blasting the state's practice of paying prisoners a nominal wage for inmate labor.
The Republican House of Delegates candidate from Roanoke would discover that House Minority Leader Vance Wilkins Jr. of Amherst County - never someone who could be accused of coddling prisoners - believes that inmate pay should be continued.
Wilkins said in a recent interview that all inmates should be put to work at least eight hours a day - starting out by breaking rocks .
"Put 'em to work," he said. "There ought to be some punishment in it for them."
Wilkins said the prospect of moving up to a better job - and the chance to make a few pennies more an hour - would give inmates an incentive to work hard and stay on the straight and narrow.
Wilkins added that inmates also should be required to set aside some of their wages for restitution to their victims and to give them a "nest egg" when they are released.
"We send them out with $50 in their pockets," Wilkins said. "If they had more money, maybe they wouldn't turn to dealing drugs and other illegal activities."
Falkinburg, who's challenging Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, D-Roanoke, recently said that, if elected, he would try to end the state's longtime practice of paying inmates.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB