Willie Horton
E553460
Willie Horton is a convicted murderer whose controversial release on a weekend furlough during Michael Dukakis's governorship became a highly influential and racially charged issue in the 1988 U.S. presidential campaign.
Statements (40)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
convicted murderer
ⓘ
person ⓘ |
| associatedWithPolicyOf | Michael Dukakis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| committedCrimeDuringFurlough |
armed robbery
ⓘ
assault ⓘ rape ⓘ |
| convictedIn | Massachusetts NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfCitizenship | United States of America ⓘ |
| criminalCharge |
armed robbery
ⓘ
murder ⓘ rape ⓘ |
| furloughStatus | failed to return from furlough ⓘ |
| furloughType | weekend furlough ⓘ |
| givenName | William ⓘ |
| impactOn |
Republican campaign strategy on crime
ⓘ
public perception of Michael Dukakis ⓘ subsequent U.S. political advertising norms ⓘ |
| incarceratedIn | Maryland state prison system NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| issueFramedAs |
crime and public safety
ⓘ
racially charged political issue ⓘ |
| legalStatus | serving life sentence without parole ⓘ |
| mediaCoverage | extensive national media attention in late 1980s ⓘ |
| nickname | Willie NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
role in 1988 United States presidential election
ⓘ
weekend furlough controversy in Massachusetts ⓘ |
| participatedIn | Massachusetts prison furlough program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| policyContext | Massachusetts prison furlough program under Governor Dukakis ⓘ |
| politicalContext |
campaign against Michael Dukakis
ⓘ
campaign supporting George H. W. Bush ⓘ |
| sexOrGender | male ⓘ |
| symbolized |
perceived leniency on crime
ⓘ
racialized fear in U.S. politics ⓘ |
| timePeriodOfNotability |
1980s
ⓘ
1988 U.S. presidential election cycle ⓘ |
| usedAsExampleIn |
debates over prison furlough programs
ⓘ
discussions of negative campaigning ⓘ studies of racial coding in political ads ⓘ |
| usedIn | 1988 U.S. presidential campaign attack ads ⓘ |
| victimLocationOfFurloughCrimes | Maryland NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| wasIncarceratedIn | Massachusetts state prison system NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.