Page:Carter and Crime (Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter 1st debate)(Gerald Ford Library)(1554405).pdf/29



Mr. Carter favors registration of handguns but not rifles or shotguns. He would permit the death penalty for certain crimes such as murder by a prison inmate. He notes regularly in his speeches that most crimes are committed by poor people against poor people, and he proposes extensive prison reform. He supports decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana.

New York Times

June 11, 1976

"Our best defense against skyrocketing crime is a criminal justice system that can deliver swift, certain, fair and firm justice. The present system has shown itself incapable of doing any of these things."

Carter campaign brochure