Free Essays on 3 strikes

California’s three strikes law is an effective tool in cleaning our streets of criminals and deterring future crime. The law requires that if an offender is convicted of any felony (second strike) and has a previous "violent or serious felony" (first strike) the court is required to sentence the offender to twice the normal sentence. In addition to this â€Å"second strike rule†, offenders who commit a third felony (third strike) after already having two previous strikes will receive a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The three strikes law has been a fiercely debated issue due to many publicized cases of criminals receiving stiff sentences (which were mandated by the law) for what three strikes opponents believe were â€Å"petty† crimes. The three strikes law came about in 1994 in response to a highly publicized murder case in California. In 1994, 12 year-old Polly Klass was murdered by Richard Allen Davis, a parolee and repeat offender. In response to this brutal act, the Legislature adopted the â€Å"three-strikes-you're-out law†. â€Å"It passed with 72 percent voter approval. It requires a judge to impose a 25 years to life sentence for a felony third-strikes offense committed after two serious or violent felonies† (Hughes). The three strikes law has put a wide variety of criminals behind bars. Cases range from murder and rape to burglary. Opponents of the law will point to cases such as Ronald Herrerra’s. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for stealing $12 worth of groceries. The sentence seems harsh when the average citizen puts himself in Herrerra’s shoes; however, Herrerra was not the average law-abiding citizen. Supporters of the law would argue that â€Å"the three strikes law was created for men like Herrerra, whose other felony convictions include rape, armed robbery and attempted murder† (Cota). Another person who supports the law is Lisa Delgado. Her husband, Kenneth Delgado was sen... Free Essays on 3 Strikes Free Essays on 3 Strikes California’s three strikes law is an effective tool in cleaning our streets of criminals and deterring future crime. The law requires that if an offender is convicted of any felony (second strike) and has a previous "violent or serious felony" (first strike) the court is required to sentence the offender to twice the normal sentence. In addition to this â€Å"second strike rule†, offenders who commit a third felony (third strike) after already having two previous strikes will receive a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The three strikes law has been a fiercely debated issue due to many publicized cases of criminals receiving stiff sentences (which were mandated by the law) for what three strikes opponents believe were â€Å"petty† crimes. The three strikes law came about in 1994 in response to a highly publicized murder case in California. In 1994, 12 year-old Polly Klass was murdered by Richard Allen Davis, a parolee and repeat offender. In response to this brutal act, the Legislature adopted the â€Å"three-strikes-you're-out law†. â€Å"It passed with 72 percent voter approval. It requires a judge to impose a 25 years to life sentence for a felony third-strikes offense committed after two serious or violent felonies† (Hughes). The three strikes law has put a wide variety of criminals behind bars. Cases range from murder and rape to burglary. Opponents of the law will point to cases such as Ronald Herrerra’s. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for stealing $12 worth of groceries. The sentence seems harsh when the average citizen puts himself in Herrerra’s shoes; however, Herrerra was not the average law-abiding citizen. Supporters of the law would argue that â€Å"the three strikes law was created for men like Herrerra, whose other felony convictions include rape, armed robbery and attempted murder† (Cota). Another person who supports the law is Lisa Delgado. Her husband, Kenneth Delgado was sen... Free Essays on 3 strikes Three strikes and you're out By: K.J. Stewart Running head: THREE STRIKES Three Strikes and You’re Out Kelly Jay Stewart CRIM 440 21 November 2000 Three Strikes and You’re Out Samuel Walker, author of Sense and Nonsense about Crime and Drugs, presented us in his book with forty-eight propositions that dealt with crime, drugs, and our efforts toward getting rid of these problems. A few of these propositions informed us on positive actions taking place in our criminal justice system, but the majority of them told us what was not working to fight crime and drugs. One of those propositions that was a negative aspect of our justice system today in Mr. Walker’s eyes was the â€Å"three strikes and you’re out† laws (referred to here after as three strikes laws). He gives numerous reasons why this law is not considered to be an effective one. This paper will first explain Walker’s view on the issue and then review some of the current research and opinions on the matter. Samuel Walker conducted v ery thorough research on the propositions he presented to us in his book. His twentieth proposition read as follows; â€Å" ‘Three strikes and you’re out’ laws are a terrible crime policy† (Walker, 1998: 140). Walker justifies his claim by asking and then explaining three questions. The first question is whether the law would actually be implemented. Walker states that â€Å"hardly any states were using there three strikes laws† (Walker, 1998: 138). California is leading the nation in prosecutions of offenders through the current two and three strikes laws (Tischler, 1999). Fifteen of the twenty-three states that have three strikes laws have incarcerated between zero and six inmates since 1993 according to The Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy (Tischler, 1999). The second reason Walker cites is the impact of the three strikes laws on the criminal justice system. These laws are affecting the system by overcrowding prisons, subjecti...