'3-strikes' Laws Not Justice at its Best

Dayton Daily News ^ | March 7, 2003 | Dayton Daily News Editorial Staff

[HighWheeler]

Nah, I don't need another bridge, I bought the Golden Gate last month, with delivery scheduled for March 15. Thanks anyway.

[HighWheeler]

This paper is the small town socialist newspaper of the midwest. They are big time anti-liberty.

[Age of Reason]

They're tremendously expensive, for instance, especially knowing that most offenders "grow out" of a life of crime. Under these laws, some very old men are will be living in prison long after they couldn't hurt anybody if they wanted to.

If they were executed we wouldn't have to waste money guarding, housing and feeding them for decades.

[arjay]

One can always depend on the Dayton Daily News to take an extremely liberal view of every issue. I live in the Dayton area and refuse to take the Dayton paper because of its extreme views.

[jwalsh07]

They're tremendously expensive, for instance, especially knowing that most offenders "grow out" of a life of crime.

LOL.

[jwalsh07]

Self defense is not a crime.

[Torie]

Actually the aging process is the single most reliable rehabilitative process there is as the hormones wane, and the brain slowly gains more influence.

[Porterville]

Between low income folk, it is in the minds of many.

[jwalsh07]

We're talking three time felons here. Presumably they have already been to the big house twice. Their recidivism rates are astronomical.

[Torie]

My problem is counting as strikes crimes committed as a youth, and then many years later getting tagged for something that is rather minor and non violent but constitutes a strike, and then you are out. I never liked this law as written. It needs to be refined. If I was on a jury in this situation, I would nullify.

[jwalsh07]

I've got no problem with giving a pass to certain misspent youths. I do have a problem with career criminals.

[BamaGirl]

Hi HW,

Have you found out any information about the two previous crimes committed by Ewing? I also looked for information about Leandro Andrade but couldn't find anything except something about armed robbery and burglary.

I am guessing that the reason why the sentences were so harsh is that the previous two crimes, in both cases, were pretty hideous. Perhaps we are also not getting the full story on the third crimes.

[goldstategop]

There also costs of repeat crimes that can never be economically counted since they're invisible to all but the victims and their loved ones.

[lewislynn]

. (If the thousands it will cost to keep that offender in prison were spent on his addiction, you have to wonder if he wouldn't be able to kick his habit.)

Let him kick his habit in prison where he belongs.

Criminals need to be educated. They need to learn that "three srikes, you're out"... When they've learned that they'll be on thier way to recovery.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Go California***** 3 strikes---your out!

[lewislynn]

'3-strikes' Laws Not Justice at its Best

Oh well, nothin's perfect.

[Unknowing]

I'm afraid this is what Constitutional scholars might call "comity at its best."

[Forgiven_Sinner]

"Gee Tom, where does the Consitution give anyone the right to be a continual repeat offender." -bf-

Gee 'B', --- where does the constitution give a legislature the right to jail you for life for stealing a golf ball?

The constitution doesn't give the FEDERAL government the right to regulate state crime. Each state has the power to regulate crime as it sees fit, within the Bill of Rights. States are sovereign, with respect to crime. The Constitution limits the Federal government, but reserves the unspecified aspects to the States and the people.

My problem with the three strikes law is that it can be unjust. It makes no provision for mercy. As others have pointed out on this thread, the root cause is unjust judges. But the Constitution does not protect us from unjust laws. That's why legislatures are elected. We control the laws. We get the laws we want and can change the ones we don't like.

I prefer crimes of property to be punished by indentured servitude. The criminal becomes the servant of the victim until they have paid off their debt, or until they die, or until they're forgiven by the victim, whichever comes first. This will clear out our prisons.

Violent crime, murder and rape, and kidnapping, should be punishable by death or life imprisonment. No other penalty. A crime with a life long effect should have a life long punishment.

[dirtboy]

I don't think the application of the three-strikes law here is unconstitutional, just stupid. I can see why legislatures want to pass them - to keep nitwit liberal judges from giving serious repeat perps a slap on the wrist. But putting this guy and others like him in jail for that length of time will probably allow some really bad guy to walk in the future because of overcrowding, resulting in the exact situation the legislators were trying to prevent in the first place, just at a different point.

[dirtboy]

Gee 'B', --- where does the constitution give a legislature the right to jail you for life for stealing a golf ball?

Tenth Amendment. This is a state matter, and the Tenth does by default reserve to the states the right to be stupid in certain matters.