Three Strikes and You're Out
...ather than 50 percent, as under the previous law)” (“California’s New Three-Strikes Law: Benefits, Costs, and Alternatives”). Governor Wilson wanted the people to see action in the courts, the citizens were not satisfied with repeated offenders walking the streets where their children wanted to play. “With regards to the third strike, it is true that both a serious/violent or nonserious/nonviolent felony can count. This is only the case, however, if the offender’s two previous strikes were either violent or serious felonies” (Rosenblum). Therefore if an offender is caught twice under the Three Strike Law if would be difficult to commit without due punishment. I am whole heartedly in favor of the Three-Strikes law. It is about time that there is harsher punishment for career criminals. Since implemented the Three-Strikes law has decreased crime rates, as well as saved the state a tremendous amount of money. It is the perfect medicine to protect our state from career criminals. (Rosenblum) Before the Three-Strikes law was put into action RAND did some research concluding that if the law was implemented serious felonies committed by adults would be reduced between twenty-two and thirty-four percent. About one-third of those felonies would “be violent crimes such as murder, rape, and assaults causing great bodily injury” (“California’s New Three Strikes Law: Benefits, Costs, and Alternatives”). In March 1998 a study was released by the California’s Attorney General’s Office proving RAND’s research to be correct. The study found that violent crime rate dropped almost twenty-seven percent, homicide about forty percent, and rape about seventeen percent (“California’s Three-Strikes Law”). When the expenses of the Three-Strikes law are thought of it is easy to focus primarily on the cost of keeping repeat offenders incarcerated. But, what about the costs of medical bills due to the bodily injury of a victim or the cost of putting repeat offenders through our courts? “It has been estimated that every repeat felon returned to our streets costs nearly $200,000 annually” (Rosenblum). Why are they spending our money to be put through the court system multiple times when they should be appropriately punished after their first offense? Also, in 1995 it was estimated by the Office of Planning and Research that the Three-Strikes law will save the state $23 billion over the course of the next five years. Kenneth Parnell is a perfect example of the Three-Strikes law serving the people of California justice. On April 15, 2004, 72 year old, Kenneth Parnell was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for trying to buy a 4-year old boy for $500. “Parnell had a history of abducting and keeping young boys” (“Molester Gets Life Term for Attempt to Buy a Boy”). “Parnell already spent five years in prison during the 1980’s for twice sna...