Charles Stenholm on Crime Former Democratic Representative (TX-17, 1979-2005)

Voted NO on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons.

Voted YES on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime.

Voted NO on maintaining right of habeas corpus in Death Penalty Appeals.

Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder.

Voted NO on replacing death penalty with life imprisonment.

Rated 40% by CURE, indicating mixed votes on rehabilitation.

CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants) is a membership organization of families of prisoners, prisoners, former prisoners and other concerned citizens. CURE's two goals are

1. to use prisons only for those who have to be in them; and
2. for those who have to be in them, to provide them all the rehabilitative opportunities they need to turn their lives around.

More prison cells; more truth in sentencing.

• To encourage each State to adopt truth in sentencing laws and to help fund additional spaces in the State correctional programs as needed.
• Provide grants to States to build, expand, or operate space in correctional facilities in order to implement specified "truth in sentencing" requirements.
• Requires a State, to be eligible for funding under this Act, to have in effect throughout the State such requirements, including provisions which:
  1. restrict parole, good-time credit release, or other forms of early release to require that criminals convicted of crimes of violence serve at least 85% of the sentence imposed by a judge or jury;
  2. require the sentencing authority to allow the defendant's victim or the victim's family the opportunity to be heard regarding the issue of sentencing;
  3. allow as a sentencing option a "life sentence" without the possibility of parole; and
  4. provide that the victim and the victim's family shall be notified whenever such defendant is to be released.