[Prime Choice]

Good example of why Mandatory Sentences are not such a great idea after all. IMHO

Perhaps...but I get the sense there's a LOT more to this story than this fluffy little piece of non-journalism indicates. Was this woman a habitual repeat offender? Is her arrest record longer than my arm? People don't just get sent up the river for life over less than a half-gram of toot.

For my own part, I think the 3 Strikes law is a good object lesson for idiots who can't straighten up and fly right after *TWO* convictions. I don't know about you, but if I ever had a conviction which lead to my doing hard time, I sure as hell wouldn't go back to doing the same damn dumb things like those people do.

[cajun-jack]

the trouble is ( and I worked for Dept of Corrections) is conviction # 1 and #2, they usually get probation and think they will keep getting probation.

p.s. "snowbrains" or crackheads don't think real clear.

Third strike is kinda like the insane "zero tolerance" rules in our schools.

Kinda like a small child that you keep telling if you do that again, I am going to spank you.

You never spank him/her so after a while, they just know you aren't going to spank them, so they have no reason to alter behavior.

[SearchMaster]

Agreed.
There is ALWAYS more to the story, than you/we can ever get out of a single article.
Peeps who can't seem to not break the law need punishment...but seems these days we see the rich getting off on major offenses, and the poor idiots (doing lesser offenses) doing hard time.

Justice is not an easy balance to achieve, and harder to put down on paper. No one can ever foresee ALL ramifications of a law. I guess thats what Judges were intended for in the Constitution. IMHO