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Post by beth on May 19, 2010 23:53:20 GMT -5
How well do you believe this law has worked in CA and elsewhere to reduce crime rates? The WikiThree strikes laws are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became very popular in the 1990s. Twenty four states have some form of habitual offender laws. New Zealand is scheduled to introduce a form of the Three Strikes Law in early 2010 as part of the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill.[1] The name comes from baseball, where a batter is permitted two strikes before striking out on the third. The Three Strikes law significantly increases the prison sentences of persons convicted of felonies who have been previously convicted of a violent crime or serious felony, and limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other than a prison sentence. Violent and serious felonies are specifically listed in state laws. Violent offenses include murder, robbery of a residence in which a deadly or dangerous weapon is used, rape and other sex offenses; serious offenses include the same offenses defined as violent offenses, but also include other crimes such as burglary of a residence and assault with intent to commit a robbery or murder. |
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Post by iamjumbo on May 20, 2010 7:37:11 GMT -5
three strikes laws are, by definition, GREAT. the ONLY drawback to them is the cost to the real people who have to waste good tax dollars feeding garbage.
there have been a couple of cases where it has been ill advised to use it, of course. the punk that stole a pizza, the fool who stole five video tapes, and a couple of others, but of course, the fact remains, had they not chosen to be trash twice previously, they wouldn't have gone down for twenty-five years for those thefts
stupidity is doing the same thing repeatedly thinking that the result will ever change. releasing those who have proven beyond all doubt that they are totally worthless, so that they can cause ever more victims, is the heighth of stupidity
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2010 8:25:35 GMT -5
Three strike laws are, by definition, UNJUST and IRRATIONAL.
If you believe that a person who commits three offences - no matter how minor - deserves to spend the rest of their life in prison then you are either a member of the Prison Officers' Union trying to drum up business or else someone who does NOT believe that law and justice have any kind of relationship to each other.
Imprisoning people for NO good reason IS stupidity. Apart from anything else, it will actually INCREASE the crime rate WITHIN prison since an inmate, with no hope of parole, has nothing to lose by committing assaults, rapes and murder.
Like most of the laws which PRETEND to be tough on crime, it is purely a public relations exercise and is totally indefensible.
The sooner it is scrapped the better.
Now that SCOTUS are at long last beginning to wake up to reality, perhaps they will declare the three strikes law unconstitutional (which it clearly IS).
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2010 9:03:27 GMT -5
How well do you believe this law has worked in CA and elsewhere to reduce crime rates? It's worked great here. Crime rates are much lower because of it. |
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Post by Wonder Woman on May 20, 2010 23:40:51 GMT -5
Three strike laws are, by definition, UNJUST and IRRATIONAL. If you believe that a person who commits three offences - no matter how minor - deserves to spend the rest of their life in prison then you are either a member of the Prison Officers' Union trying to drum up business or else someone who does NOT believe that law and justice have any kind of relationship to each other. The first (or second) are not 'minor offenses' if they're 'serious' felonies or 'violent crimes', Mike. The third 'offense' (as far as I'm aware) may be 'minor' ~ but they know the score going in that they better not get another strike. If they still go out and lift that pizza, I have no probs with them going back before they rape that next kid (for example). Sure there's a reason ~ they broke the law knowing full well it'd send them back to prison. My guess, therefore, would be that's just exactly where they want to be. Also, last I checked, prison crime rates are down just like crime rates all over the country. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2010 10:14:50 GMT -5
The three strikes law works about as well as any of the misconceived attempts that have been made over the centuries to reduce crime.
The FACTS are that it is NOT the SEVERITY of the punishment but the CERTAINTY of being caught which deters crime.
The fact remains that ANY law which can sentence someone to life imprisonment for minor offences IS unjust, irrational and a direct INCITEMENT to crime and particularly murder.
If you know you'll get locked up for ever you might as well murder someone because you'll get the SAME punishment for that crime as for stealing a sandwich.
Anyone who thinks THAT is just, rational or in ANY way defensible has a very strange notion of morality.
Any justice that is NOT proportionate to the crime can NEVER be justice!
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Post by iamjumbo on May 21, 2010 13:04:15 GMT -5
The three strikes law works about as well as any of the misconceived attempts that have been made over the centuries to reduce crime. The FACTS are that it is NOT the SEVERITY of the punishment but the CERTAINTY of being caught which deters crime. The fact remains that ANY law which can sentence someone to life imprisonment for minor offences IS unjust, irrational and a direct INCITEMENT to crime and particularly murder. If you know you'll get locked up for ever you might as well murder someone because you'll get the SAME punishment for that crime as for stealing a sandwich. Anyone who thinks THAT is just, rational or in ANY way defensible has a very strange notion of morality. Any justice that is NOT proportionate to the crime can NEVER be justice! FACT! NO ONE goes to prison for life for stealing a sandwich. they go to prison for life for being so totally worthless that they've committed THREE crimes, on THREE occassions. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2010 14:52:06 GMT -5
it is NOT the SEVERITY of the punishment but the CERTAINTY of being caught which deters crime. There are those that don't mind being caught or punished. They are that angry and/or that stupid. That's what three-strikes laws are for. I should know. |
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Omega
