Three Strikes Law

3 Pages 678 Words

The Three Strikes Law is Lost in a Dessert


The ‘three strikes’ law has proven to be inadequate. It requires a huge amount of money to keep it in effect, while it mostly strikes non-violent criminals and causes early release of hard-core criminals. Thus, the law is ineffective when it comes to controlling the rates of real criminals or decreasing the rise of violence.
The ‘three strikes’ law more often accrues for a minor felony. People go to prison for much less. Often there is no violent crime at all and they are struck out. The statistics have shown that more than half of the ‘three strikes’ offenders are non-violent criminals that have been taken for only theft and drug or tobacco use. Putting them in jail for life takes room for real offenders. With limited prison space, many violent felons who have only been convicted once or twice are being let out to make room for many non-violent three strikers. Letting out more serious and violent offenders for non-violent offenders increases the cost to society, since they are more likely to commit more violent and serious felonies than the non-violent three strikers. Thus, the law is inappropriate by engendering an influx of prisoners to an already overflowing prison system and an unbearable financial burden.
The ‘three strikes’ law requires millions from taxpayers’ money to keep it in effect. Millions of dollars are spend to care and house prisoners. “Each prisoner serving a 25-to-life sentence cost the state about $500,000 over his or her lifetime. The annual cost of housing 29,000 non-violent second- or third-strikers is $632 million.” ( Los Angeles Times ). While, one third of the prisoners jammed into prison are those who are sentencing second- or third strike. The public is not really as concerned about minor felonies or even residential burglaries as it is about truly violent crimes. It does not want to pay for keeping non-violent criminals ...