Charlie Crist on Crime Republican

"Chain Gang Charlie": reinstitute prisoner labor on highways

I co-sponsored a chain gang amendment. An editorial writer at the St. Petersburg Times coined the nickname "Chain Gang Charlie." I can assure you it was not meant as a term of endearment. But soon enough, people across the state were calling me "Chain Gang," and I didn't mind it one bit. Being tough on criminals was fine with Republicans.

1978: Florida State murders taught empathy for victims

It took 3 weeks for the assailant to be caught. He was a former law student from Washington State named Ted Bundy, on a cross-country, multi-year murder spree. Before he was finally put to death in 1989, he confessed to 30 murders in 7 states between 1974 and 1978. The true total could be much higher. The attacks left me with an intense empathy for crime victims that has followed me through my life. It also cemented my interest in attending law school.

1993: Sponsored STOP law: Stop Turning Out Prisoners

Chain-Gang Charlie: reinstitute prison chain gangs

Stop Turning Out Prisoners: serve at least 85% of sentence

In 1992, he won a seat in the Florida Senate, where he represented the interests of citizens concerned about such issues as education, crime, the environment and elder affairs. During his six years in the Senate, Crist served as Chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee and as Chairman of the Appropriations Criminal Justice Subcommittee. A strong voice for public safety, he sponsored, among other legislation, the Stop Turning Out Prisoners (STOP) bill requiring prisoners to serve at least 85 percent of their prison sentences. This achievement earned him numerous honors, including appointment as an Honorary Sheriff by the Florida Sheriffs Association--only the third person to receive the honor in the organization's long history.

Supports 10-20-Life and Stop Turning Out Prisoners program

I was proud to launch the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit in 2005 to thwart the actions of those who target our children. Attorney General Bill McCollum has made fighting this crime a top priority.

Supports 10-20-Life and Stop Turning Out Prisoners program

I was proud to launch the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit in 2005 to thwart the actions of those who target our children. Attorney General Bill McCollum has made fighting this crime a top priority.

Proposed the Anti-Murder Act

Require that prisoners serve at least 85% of their sentences

Broaden use of federal death penalty

Crist supports the following principles concerning crime:
• Broaden use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
• Prosecute youths accused of a felony as adults.
• Increase funding for local Boys & Girls Clubs and other independent organizations in communities with at-risk youth.
• Deport all permanent resident aliens convicted of a felony.

More federal prisons; more “truth in sentencing”

Crist supports the following principles concerning crime:
• Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
• Impose “truth in sentencing” for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
• Fund programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
• Expand funding for community policing programs.
• Increase penalties for the possession of any illegal firearms.