Three Strikes
... The law was dubbed “three-strikes and you’re out” because of its provision requiring prison terms of 25 years to life for defendants convicted of any felony who were already convicted of two “serious” or “violent” felonies. The law was overwhelmingly affirmed by three-fourths of California voters through a statewide initiative in November of 1993. ... How much crime reduction could they have expected from the three-strike law? ... The Three Strike’s law promised to reduce violent crime by putting repeat violent offenders behind bars for life. ... This paper will address these questions, the positive issues of the Three Strikes law, and the negative issues of the law, illustrate key points why this law does not and will not work, and make recommendations. ... Arguments in favor of Three Strikes “If a criminal does not reform after two felony convictions, it is unlikely that he or she ever will. Three Strikes laws are effective because they target these repeat offenders who have proven unable to change their criminal behavior. ... Three Strikes & you’re out, pg102-105. ... Three Strike laws can help reduce the prison population by serving as a deterrent to potential repeat criminals. ... ” (California’s new 3 strikes law: Benefits, Costs, and Alternatives. ... After researching the benefits of the Three Strikes law, I found that California should develop alternatives to this law. ... ” (Californias new 3 strikes law: Benifits, Costs, and Alternatives… RAND). ... In this context, the guaranteed-full-term alternative could be of interest, for it would be just as effective as the Three Strikes law at substantially lower cost. The advantages of this alternative point out the shortcomings of the Three Strikes law: The full-term alternative would increase sentences for all serious offenders, even first-timers who are near the beginning of their criminal careers, and pay for it by not imprisoning many minor felons. The Strikes law, in contrast, does not crack down on first-time serious offenders. ... Arguments against Three Strikes The American public is alarmed about crime, and with good reason. ... The ‘Three Strikes, You’re Out’ law, embraced by state legislators, Congress, former President Clinton and now President Bush is imposing mandatory sentences upon criminals that do not deserve a life sentence. ... However, under the current version of the Three Strikes law, he is out! ... This scenario illustrates just how unconstitutional the Three Strikes law can be.