committed. The prosecuting attorney must plead and prove each prior felony conviction. The three-strikes law can .
only be amended by a 2/3 vote of the legislature (Mullins, 5).
The most common "strike" charges are for drugs, theft and burglary. Nearly seventy percent of second strikes are for non-violent and non-serious offenses. This is a law that needs some changes in order to serve the purpose behind the original idea. It is failing to do what it was intended to do and has created problems for the justice system. In order for this to be a constructive law it has to be changed. Our prison systems cannot handle the large numbers of these "three-strike" offenders. Our tax dollars could be put to better use and the violent criminals that are a real threat to civilization should be receiving these long-term sentences.
With all of the money we must pay for taxes already, we do not need all of these burglars serving life sentences. This law can do a lot more good if only there were a few changes done to it. Offenses like stealing a certain amount of goods should not fall under the three-strikes law.
If a person is convicted of a third violent or serious felony then they are sentenced to life in prison. They are .
given the possibility of parole only after they serve the minimum time required of their conviction. If a person gets sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment, they must serve 25 years, and then they are eligible for parole. The minimum term of the life sentence is the greater of the following:.
a. Three times the term otherwise provided.
b. 25 years.
c. The term determined by the court pursuant to the other applicable provisions of existing law.
As of April 1, 2002, the Supreme Court said it will review whether or not some three-strikes and you"re out sentencing laws result in unconstitutionally harsh prison terms, such as up to life in prison for shoplifting videotapes from Kmart (Gearan, 1).