Limitations on three strikes law
Of all the 2004 ballot propositions, I believe that Proposition 66 has the most significant impact on California. Proposition 66 would put limits on the current "three-strikes" law that California has in affect. This not only makes things "less harsh" for criminals who don't necessarily deserve 25 years to life for "not so severe" felonies, but it also greatly impacts the lives of the general population of California. There is a direct connection between the rising prison costs and the current three-strikes law. The prison system in California is the largest in the entire United States and has a budget of over 3.5 billion dollars a year. California tax-payers pay to house over 161,000 inmates, and over half of the inmates convicted under the three-strikes law were convicted of non-violent crimes (Proposition 66...), resulting in overcrowded prisons and higher taxes for Californians. There are three kinds of crimes: felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions. A felony is the most serious type of crime. About 18 percent of people convicted of a felony are sent to state prison. The rest are supervised on probation in the community, sentenced to county jail, or both.
Both of these felonies were committed by existing felons. Different events such as these set the course for the proposal of Proposition 184 in 1994. But as for third strike offenders, under prop 184, the punishment after convicted is life imprisonment with the minimum term being 25 years. Proposition 184 (commonly referred to as the "Three Strikes and You're Out" law) imposed longer prison sentences for certain repeat offenders. One measure states that an increase in sentence of 6, 8, or 12 years shall be given to sexual predators who sexually penetrate or have oral contact with a child 12 years and older, and if the child is 10 or younger, the sentence can be up to 25 years. A few of these included 18 year old Kimberly Reynolds getting shot, and 12 year old Polly Klass getting kidnapped and murdered. Proposition 66 is a chance for California to refine Proposition 184, to work out a few kinks. According to FBI statistics, since 1994 we've had two million fewer victims, taxpayers have saved an estimated $28. Of the inmates sentenced to prison in 2003, approximately 30 percent were convicted for crimes defined as serious or violent (Marianne 1). Other key groups that oppose Proposition 66 include California Police Chiefs Association, Prevent Child Abuse California, National Tax Limitation Committee, California Sexual Assault Investigators Association, California State Sheriffs' Association, Mothers Against Gang Violence, and Marc Klaas of Klaas Kids Foundation (League of Women. Most will have their sentences dramatically reduced if Proposition 66 is approved. 5 billion and dangerous career criminals have been taken off the street. But the opposing view argues that the crime rate in the entire country went down over the course of this time for completely different reasons then just the three-strikes law. Felonies defined as serious include the same offenses defined as violent felonies, but also include other offenses such as burglary of a residence and assault with intent to commit robbery.
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