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Three Strike Law

Topics: Crime, Prison, Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution Pages: 2 (670 words) Published: February 16, 2010
Three Strikes Law
Jackie Andre
Criminal Justice 140

Fact, 3 Strikes Law clogs the courts docket. Fact, the law destroys the flexibility of the courts and the judges. Fact, not all felonies are considered violent. Fact, the 3 Strikes Law impose life sentences on offenders whose crimes don't warrant such harsh punishment .

The United States criminal court systems are notably overcrowded due to the pressing backlogs of the increasing crime rate of our country. On March 4th 1994,the 3 Strike law came into effect. The 3 Strike law states that a person who is convicted of three felonies is given a mandatory 25 to life sentence (ACLU,2002). According to US Legal Definition, a felony is an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of one year is authorized. Felonies are serious crimes, such as murder, rape, or burglary, punishable by a harsher sentence than that given for a misdemeanor (USLegal,2010).

The 3 Strikes Laws will impose life sentences on offenders whose crimes don't warrant such harsh punishment. For example, a person drives a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol beverages, the driver falls sleep while driving then crashes into a unoccupied vehicle which is parked on the side of the road. When law enforcement arrives, the vehicle operator is given a field sobriety and breathalyzer test and learns that the driver is well above the legal drinking limit. This is considered a victimless crime due to there was no victim injury and a felony due to the driver being intoxicated while committing property damage. Let’s change the example a little. A person drives a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol beverages, the driver falls asleep while driving when suddenly the driver crashes into a occupied vehicle which is parked on the side of the road. When law enforcement arrives, the vehicle operator is given a field sobriety and breathalyzer test and learns that the driver is well above the legal drinking limit. This would be...
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