Three Strikes You're Out?: Propostion 36: Life in Prison?

Monday, November 26, 2012

Propostion 36: Life in Prison?

Main Idea

With proposition 36, I believe it will help correct the justice system. In California, if one gets commits three crimes then they could get life in prison. This new proposition would change this so an individual only goes to prison if their third strike was serious or violent. With this new law I feel like its more fair because it give an individual a chance. There are many circumstances in life and if an individual decides to turn his/her life around by ending their life in crime but ends up being blamed for a crime only to get them to prison, it doesn’t seem fair to give them life in prison. Life in prison is a serious time and one has to think of the affects it can bring to one. This new law will allow the right individuals to be put in prison and keep the ones that don’t deserve to be there out.

There are those who worry that it will cost the taxpayers a lot of money but according to Yeson36.org, it will actually save $100 million per year which will help fund schools, help fight crime, and reduce the chances of raising taxes.

Link and Analysis

In an article by Jacob Sullum, he explains on the affects proposition 36 will have. He explains that out the 300,000 in-mates in prison, they will be able to appeal their sentence and if “a judge determines that doing so would not pose an ‘unreasonable risk to public safety’” then they might be set free. According to a Stanford law professor Michael Romano, many inmates third strike are only for possession.

In another article of the State News Service, they state that California has an extreme way of carrying out sentences. Out of 4000 inmates that are in for life, 2000 of them are in their third strike for committing a nonviolent or a non serious third offense. Prisons are being filled up with people who deserved less time than they were given and are only just taking up space and state budget with their given prison sentence. With the new law, the state not only saves money but gets the correct prisoners into their time.

Some may argue that those that commit a crime again and again might be leading up to a worse crime from robbing your local pharmacy to killing an innocent by stander but that is just going to an extreme. There are people who commit crimes in order to feed their children because they could barely get by with what society gives them. Of course that does not mean that one should let people commit crimes because as the saying goes once you did the crime you got to do your time. Justice should be served but fairly. Giving a fair sentence is the proper thing to do in society because then we would just be putting people in prison for no good reason.

Sullum, Jacob. "Striking injustice: California sentencing reform." Reason Nov. 2012: 12+. General OneFile. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.

"US/CALIFORNIA: 'THREE-STRIKES' VOTE A HUMANE STEP PROPOSITION 36 STOPS LIFE SENTENCES FOR NONVIOLENT OFFENSES." States News Service 7 Nov. 2012. General OneFile. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.

Significant Quotes

“The state should not allow the misallocation of limited penal resources by having life prison sentences for those who do not pose a serious criminal threat to society. The punishment should fit the crime."-- Steve Cooley, Los Angeles County District Attorney

The part that I found most important of this quote is when he said that punishment should fit the crime and if not doing so it just and unjust punishment.

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "cruel and unusual punishments [shall not be] inflicted".

This quote is also important because even in the beginning of the making of this country, U.S. had made it clear in their constitution to not do any strange or cruel punishments.

Visual Argument & Analysis

In this cartoon, it shows two prisoners in a jail cell and one of the prisoners explains by saying “I tried to turn my life around and apparently I made an illegal U-turn”.

This was an interesting cartoon because it not signifies the fact that many prisoners are there because a small crime they’ve committed but it also signifies the fact that some are trying to turn their life around and in the end might be put to prison for something that might have been blame to on them. It does not seem right to send a person to jail just because they made a wrong turn or maybe just did not see the stop sign. Prison are being over crowded with many who don’t derserve to be there and with proposition 36 it helps fix that.
By Yanet Gutierrez

1 comment:

Death Penalty BlogNovember 26, 2012 at 2:31 PM
I agree with your group's position on the three stikes law. An individual should not be sentenced to life in prison for stealing from a candy shop 3 times. Alternatively, a criminal who has committed 3 felonies should be sentenced to life in prision - it takes a very menacing and harmful individual to commit horrible crimes not once or twice, but three times. They deserve to be placed away from society based on their own actions.

- Connor Moser
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Frequently Asked Questions

All FAQS are taken from the Official California Voters Guide

1. Will prop 36 costs California tax payer’s money?

It will "save California over $100 million every year"; specifically, "Taxpayers could save over $100 million per year—money that can be used to fund schools, fight crime and reduce the state’s deficit. The Three Strikes law will continue to punish dangerous career criminals who commit serious violent crimes—keeping them off the streets for 25 years to life."

2. What was the effect of the three strike law?

California saw a 37% drop in crime in the first four years after implementing "Three Strikes".

3. What kind of affect will prop 36 have in the jail system?

It will "make room in prison for dangerous felons"; specifically, "Prop. 36 will help stop clogging overcrowded prisons with non-violent offenders, so we have room to keep violent felons off the streets."

4. What does prop 36 try to change?

It will "make the punishment fit the crime"; specifically, "Precious financial and law enforcement resources should not be improperly diverted to impose life sentences for some non-violent offenses. Prop. 36 will assure that violent repeat offenders are punished and not released early.

5. Compared to other states how did the 3 strike law match up?

While all states have seen drops [in crime], none have as much as in California.

About Us

Hi, my name is Edgar Limon. I am your average college student just trying to get by. I usually like to spend my spare time longboarding or playing Black Ops 2. I am for Prop 36 for many reasons.

My name is Logan Wilson I am a republican and I am I am 19 years old. I’m an admirer of the great President Ronald Reagan. I currently am attending CSUN and I am studying to become a political science major.

My name is Guillermo Galvez, I am 19 years old and I am a freshman at California State University, Northridge. Film is a great interest of mine, so I am majoring in Pre-cinema and I hope to have a career in film upon graduation.

Hello my name is Henry. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.

Hi my name is Richard Sanchez. I’m 18 years old and I’m from Pasadena.

Hello, I'm Joseph LeGarreta. I'm from the San Fernando Valley and I am currently a freshman at CSUN studying Computer Information Technology. I enjoy films, sports, playing the guitar, and I always like learning something new.

I hope to open the minds of those who read this blog to all sides of proposition 36, and perhaps even change their perspectives.

I found it very interesting how prior to writing this blog I didn't have a solid opinion on proposition 36. However, after having done research and reading numerous articles, I can say I am in favor of the proposition.

I learned that issues like this are not always black and white. If you take the time to read other people's perspectives on issues and their experiences, it is likely to have an effect on you. It is important that people in our society take the time to research current events and educate themselves. I'm a busy person just like anyone else, but I aim to set aside a bit of time every day to read the news. Issues like proposition 36 effect us all, even if indirectly.

I recommend the readers keep an open mind while going through this blog, and try to understand not only what the authors wrote, but the authors themselves.

Hello, my name is Yanet Avacu Gutierrez! I am 18 years old and I’m majoring in Communications at California State University Northridge.

We hope that our readers become educated on the subject of “Three Strikes” law and how it affects our community as a whole. This a current issue that has a great impact on our society. We hope that our readers become inspired to research more into these topics and form their own opinions.

The most interesting thing we found was how these laws affect prison terms. We often heard about terms such as “25 years to life in jail” but we never realized how long 10, 20, or 30 years in prison could be for a certain individual. We also found the history of how the “Three Strikes” law, or Prop 184, came into affect.

We learned the legalities of the “Three Strikes” law that we didn’t know before. We didn’t know that a second strike conviction received double the prison sentence. We also learned how Prop 36 worked to change parts of Prop 184. We realized how important our decisions can be on ourselves and our loved ones. We also learned the impact of our laws and how it emotionally affected every one of us. We plan to stay up to date on any future initiatives on the “Three Strikes” law so that we are able to voice our opinions.
We recommend that our readers research these topics. Simple things such as watching the news for an hour every morning really helps. Also, look into who is supporting these propositions and for what reasons. We found many helpful credible websites that helped us understand Prop 36. Also, social media sites such as YouTube posted informational and unbiased videos.