MIKE BARRETT









                           GOVERNOR '94






                P.O. Box 2193, Cambridge, MA 02238
               (617) 623-9494, (617) 628-0940 (FAX)


                    AN AGENDA FOR CRIME CONTROL


     Mike believes that the first step in an effective crime 
program is a strong jobs program.  As governor, he would 
concentrate on promoting economic growth as a way to undermine 
the underground criminal economy.

     But Mike will take on the crime problem directly, too.  He 
believes that Democrats have to be smart on crime, not just tough 
on crime.  His plan, which starts at the front end, includes:

    Moving to restore the local aid cuts that have resulted in 
     fewer police officers in our cities and towns.  Under the 
     Weld Administration, our ten largest cities have seen total 
     police staffing levels drop 6.6%.

    Seeking more federal and state funding for community 
     policing programs.  Mike wants to see more police on the 
     streets.

    Increasing funding for substance abuse programs.  Sixty 
     percent of the people in prison today were abusing drugs or 
     alcohol at the time of their arrest.

    Establishing comprehensive vocational training programs for 
     ex-offenders.  Almost half of all offenders presently 
     serving time in Massachusetts prisons have had at least one 
     prior prison stay.  Job training is key to reducing 
     recidivism.

    Improving recreational opportunities for teenagers.  This 
     would include rebuilding neighborhood parks and promoting 
     organized sports activities such as midnight basketball 
     leagues.  A recent study showed a direct correlation between 
     increased youth recreation programs and a drop in street 
     crime.

    Making neighborhood schools "safe havens" for children.  
     Mike would accomplish this by extending the school day and 
     year so that schools become community centers and by 
     enforcing "violence-free zones" in school buildings and 
     yards.  More time spent learning would help prepare kids for 
     jobs and address the latch-key child problem. 

    Expanding protections against abusive partners.  Mike wrote 
     and won passage of domestic violence registry law, hailed in 
     the Washington Post as "a nationwide first."  This law 
     creates a central database of criminal records and records 
     of restraining orders and requires judges to review this 
     information when ruling on petitions for restraining orders.  
     Mike has filed legislation to include parole and probation 
     records in the registry database.

    Requiring that probationers remain drug-free.  Persons under 
     this program would contribute a monthly probation fee that 
     would be earmarked for the probation system.

    Banning assault weapons in Massachusetts.  Mike is the 
     author and chief sponsor of a ground-breaking proposal to 
     ban assault weapons statewide.

    Prohibiting the use of handguns by minors.

    Requiring that firearm owners obtain and maintain a 
     certificate of insurance against harm arising out of the use 
     of their weapons.

    Creating a statewide central computerized registry of 
     firearms.

    Requiring that Firearm Identification Cards be renewed every 
     five years.  Currently FID cards are effective for life.

    Prohibiting persons subject to a domestic restraining order 
     from possessing a firearm.  FID cards would be suspended for 
     the duration of the order.

     On the back end, while Mike opposes the death penalty, he 
would get tough on serious 
crimes by: 

    Revamping our sentencing laws to include short "shock 
     sentences" of a weekend or a week for the first serious 
     offense.

    Adopting a fair, balanced version of "three strikes and 
     you're out" legislation.  Under Mike's plan, offenders 
     convicted of three serious, violent felonies would receive a 
     sentence of life in prison without parole.  To avoid turning 
     prisons into geriatric wards, Mike would define "life" as 
     the active criminal life of the offender, as proposed by 
     U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

    Supporting truth-in-sentencing laws.

    Launching a program of prison construction.  Time served -- 
     the length of incarceration --  for violent crimes has 
     dropped since 1989.  For instance, at MCI-Cedar Junction, 
     our state's maximum-security prison, time served fell by 
     nearly 12% from its peak in 1989.  A prison construction 
     program would accommodate the conservative goal of tough 
     sentencing and the progressive goal of reduced prison 
     overcrowding.

    Freeing up prison space for serious offenders by creating a 
     range of alternative sentencing options.  This would include 
     electronically monitored home confinement.