Three Strikes Law Controversy

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In the United States, the habitual offender law was first implemented on March, 7 1994. This call to action was raised when former president Nixon declared a “War on Crime.” California legislators and voters approved this major change when their voters passed proposition 184 with a 72% in favor and 28% against. This criminal sentencing law is also known as Three Strikes and You’re Out law. This law requires a minimum sentence of 25 years to life for individuals for the first two felonies were considered to be either serious or violent. California three strikes law implemented because of the murder of Kimber Reynolds. In June of 1992, Kimber Reynolds was leaving a popular local restaurant, when a couple of guys came by on a motorbike and tried to grab her purse (NPR). One of the men pulled a .357 magnum and executed Kimber Reynolds on the spot. After this incident happened, the men responsible for the killing were repeated offenders. Polly Klass from Petaluma California was kidnapped from a slumper party aboyt a year and a half after Kimber Reynolds’ murder (NPR). Two months later, Richard Allen Davis was charged with and convicted of raping and murdering 12 year old Polly (NPR). Both of these …show more content…
California specifically had major controversy because individuals with misdemeanors would still get the three strikes law enacted on his or hers sentencing. For Sue Reams, her son Shane is in prison, doing 25 years to life for being with a friend when the friend sold sold $20 worth of cocaine to an undercover cop (NPR). Judges are supposed to be responsible for weighing both mitigating and aggravating circumstances before imposing sentence (ACLU.org) The minimum sentencing for Shane was implemented because of the three strikes law; moreover, since this was his third strike, he was forced to get incarcerated for a petty crime without any consideration of the
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