Hi, I am a high school student in San Diego currently doing a school project on Proposition 36; the reform of the 3 strikes law. I have done a lot of research using the websites provided by the voter guide website and have also interviewed people in my community. However I believe that I do not have enough information. Could anybody share their opinion on Proposition 36? I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
I am against any sort of three strikes law. If you've served your time I think you've payed your service back to the state. If you've done x crime you should get y sentence. Don't think it should include life sentences if you're in possession of a firearm. Holding a gun should not be a crime. Using it should be. I couldn't care less about the crime rate. What matters is the rights of the individual.
Legislate sentencing mandates infringe upon the ability of the court to take into account extenuating circumstances. Judges are very knowledgeable about sentencing of convicted criminals whereas members of the legislature are not. Let the professionals (i.e. the judges) do the job they're supposed to do without politics being involved.
This is a great place to get opinions....not so great of place to get information. My opinion- and I speak as someone whose family was affected by a criminal who would have been affected by 3 strikes- is that current California 3 strikes is a bad law. This reform is a step in the right direction. I am voting yes.
Prop 36 does not rescind all of the 3-Strikes Law, for those who don't know the particulars of Prop 36...it will: 1) Revise the three strikes law to impose life sentence only when the new felony conviction is "serious or violent". 2) Authorize re-sentencing for offenders currently serving life sentences if their third strike conviction was not serious or violent and if the judge determines that the re-sentence does not pose unreasonable risk to public safety. 3) Continue to impose a life sentence penalty if the third strike conviction was for "certain non-serious, non-violent sex or drug offenses or involved firearm possession". 4) Maintain the life sentence penalty for felons with "non-serious, non-violent third strike if prior convictions were for rape, murder, or child molestation." "If Proposition 36 is approved by voters, approximately 3,000 convicted felons who are currently serving life terms under the Three Strikes law, whose third strike conviction was for a nonviolent crime, will be able to petition the court for a new, reduced, sentence.[2] Reducing the sentences of these current prisoners could result in saving the state somewhere between $150 to $200 million a year." http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.p...36,_Changes_in_the_"Three_Strikes"_Law_(2012) Pros and Cons here.... http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/state/prop/36/ The proposition sounds OK on its face however like most propositions the Devil is in the details for example: Where is the cut-off for 'nonviolent' crimes?
