Keystone Today

Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, recently expressed his support for law enforcement and keeping violent criminals in prison. Josh Shapiro, his opponent and the current attorney general, voted to commute more sentences than any other attorney general in history and supports changing the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons voting rule on clemency for life sentences to a majority. Pennsylvania has seen a rise in crime, specifically homicides, in the last five years.

According to a tweet from 2020, Shapiro supported legislation that would change the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons voting rules for commutations of life sentences. Shapiro is in favor of changing the voting rules to a simple majority of 3-2, rather than a unanimous vote which is the current rule. Shapiro said he voted for more commutations than any other Pennsylvania attorney general while serving on the Board of Pardons.

The governor signs off on any votes for commuting a life sentence by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, according to The Morning Call. As attorney general, Shapiro serves on the Board of Pardons where he has expressed his belief in second chances and non-partisanship. Shapiro cast the lone vote to commute sentences on occasion. Shapiro also supports eliminating life sentences for "felony murder" and expanding parole availability.

Mastriano has claimed to be "tough on crime" and promises law and order if elected, according to his campaign website. The Morning Call reports that Mastriano has said he will grant more prosecutorial resources to high crime areas in Pennsylvania.

“Mastriano will support law enforcement by ensuring they have adequate funding. He'll keep violent criminals behind bars where they belong and he'll strengthen penalties for repeat offenders and those convicted of violent crime. He'll also support funding for additional prosecutors in high-crime areas,” as written on Mastriano’s campaign website.

According to the FBI crime statistics, from 2017-2021 Pennsylvania has seen a 38% increase in homicides. As attorney general, Shapiro implemented cash bail policies that reduced bail for non-violent offenses. Mastriano has criticized Shapiro and Gov. Tom Wolf for making “it easier for criminals to quickly be put out on the streets” in a June Facebook post, but The Morning Call claims there is no direct tie between reducing cash bail and violent crime. According to The Morning Call, Mastriano said, “the elimination of cash bail will almost certainly lead to an influx of violent crime from freshly released criminals.”