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Three Strike Law: The Three Strikes Laws Essay

¶ … Three Strike Law: The Three Strikes Laws are policies in the criminal justice system that target repeat criminals and are enacted by many states. Following three distinct offense convictions or strikes, offenders are locked out of society by being sentenced to life imprisonment. The reason behind the Three Strike Law is that offenders who commit crimes repeatedly are likely to pose a serious threat to the society and should be jailed in order to protect the society ("Understanding Three Strikes," n.d.). In many states, Three Strike laws only consider serious or violent crimes as the first two strikes with a considerably lower threshold for the third strike. This lower threshold for the third strike includes crimes like forgery and shoplifting, which may result in a sentence of between 25 years to life imprisonment.

The Three Strike Law was first incorporated in the criminal justice system in early 1990s when California adopted such policies as a reaction to a killing committed by a twice-convicted criminal. Since then, many states have adopted and amended...

Some of these studies have also discovered that the provisions of the three strikes laws are responsible for crowding prisons in many states. The Three Strikes Laws were basically designed for the purpose of reducing crime rates in two major ways. This includes lessening crime by weakening repeat criminals for lengthy periods and preventing potential criminals with previous records from re-offending.
Potential Effectiveness of the Three Strike Law:

Since the implementation of the Three Strikes Laws, the legislations have had a significant impact on the criminal justice system. Additionally, these policies have generated controversies and criticisms regarding their effectiveness in achieving the desired goals. Many opponents of the laws have criticized them for oversimplifying the criminal justice system. These opponents consider the three strikes laws as factors that have contributed…

Sources used in this document:
References:

Messerli, J. (2006, October 15). Is the Three-Strikes Law, Which Provides Mandatory 25-to-life

Sentences for a Third Felony Conviction, A Good Idea? Retrieved August 12, 2011, from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/three_strikes.htm

"Understanding "Three Strikes and You're Out" Laws." (n.d.). Total Criminal Defense.

Retrieved August 12, 2011, from http://www.totalcriminaldefense.com/overview/three-strikes-law.aspx
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