There was recently a story about the 3rd Strike Law on NPR, talking about a "poor Mexican man" that was put in jail for 26 years to life for his 3rd strike – "because he is a poor Mexican man." I prefer to say that people are put again for that long for their "3rd FELONY."
I always seem hear reporters and supporters of the criminal say that the law is unjust, or unfair, or unconstitutional. They say that the law is in direct opposition to the 8th amendment against "cruel and unusual punishment." I don’t think it’s "cruel and unusual" to put someone in jail for 26 years to life for a 3rd FELONY. And I don’t care if the 3rd FELONY is forcibly stealing a candy bar from someone, or holding up a bank.
Why don’t I care? Because it’s obviously a pattern. And this is JUST the FELONIES – NOT the other arrests. These people are not innocents have have committed a crime, gone to jail, and been released 2 other times! They are people who obviously have other issues. They commit many other crimes, are arrested, sometimes spend time in jail for those smaller crimes, and eventually return home – just to commit more crimes. If they returned home and did NOT commit more crimes, that would be the end of the issue! They would NOT get arrested, and would NOT get sent to jail for 26 years to life… It’s pretty simple.
Now… IF you could show me people who have committed 3 felonies, and had NO OTHER arrests for anything, I might be interested in rethinking my opinion. But so far, I have never heard about anyone with that situation. So the point is, if someone is getting a 3rd strike, it’s because THEY ARE A BAD PERSON! Period. We are talking about FELONIES – not misdemeanors. If you steal a loaf of bread from a store, that isn’t a felony. If you run a red light, not a felony – even if you already had 10 other arrests and 2 felonies, you won’t go to jail for life. It’s pretty clear, and the law works.