Introduction
Currently, the United States is home to the highest percentage of the world’s incarcerated population. The United States itself only accounts for 4% of the total population, but has somehow managed to contain 25% of the world’s prison population. From 1984 to 2014, the number of prisoners has increased by over 400%. (vlog) California is at the forefront of this problem, as they have recently exceeded their maximum prison capacity. Their system was designed to hold 83,219 inmates, but has greatly exceeded this number with their population peaking at more than 144,000 (MacDonald, 2013). So what caused this influx of criminals sentenced to jail? Many argue that harsh policies like California’s “Three Strikes and You’re Out” are to …show more content…
If any citizen of California commits a felony that is serious or violent in nature, they are subject to this law. Designed to be though on crime, this policy causes the offender to receive double the penalty on any second felony, no matter the level of severity. After the double sentence has been served, if the offender commits another felony they will automatically receive a minimum sentence of 25 years to life (MacDonald, 2013). While this policy is designed to be tough on crime and meant to deter criminals, unfortunately, it has not done its job. With the three strikes law in place it has only lead to an increase in incarceration. This increase may be due to many offenders facing life or double penalty for lesser …show more content…
In regards to the three strikes policy, MacDonald feels that more steps need to be taken in order for the population to continue to fall and then finally level out. Even though Proposition 36 has helped to correct the unneeded harshness in sentencing of consecutive offenders it still does not address the issues faced by second-strike offenders. These offenders still face extremely harsh sentencing and are only adding to the still overcrowded system. As these sentences continue to focus too much on punishment, opposed to rehabilitation, it may lead to a “perpetuate[d] disregard for the law” (MacDonald, 2013, p.
Currently, the United States is home to the highest percentage of the world’s incarcerated population. The United States itself only accounts for 4% of the total population, but has somehow managed to contain 25% of the world’s prison population. From 1984 to 2014, the number of prisoners has increased by over 400%. (vlog) California is at the forefront of this problem, as they have recently exceeded their maximum prison capacity. Their system was designed to hold 83,219 inmates, but has greatly exceeded this number with their population peaking at more than 144,000 (MacDonald, 2013). So what caused this influx of criminals sentenced to jail? Many argue that harsh policies like California’s “Three Strikes and You’re Out” are to …show more content…
If any citizen of California commits a felony that is serious or violent in nature, they are subject to this law. Designed to be though on crime, this policy causes the offender to receive double the penalty on any second felony, no matter the level of severity. After the double sentence has been served, if the offender commits another felony they will automatically receive a minimum sentence of 25 years to life (MacDonald, 2013). While this policy is designed to be tough on crime and meant to deter criminals, unfortunately, it has not done its job. With the three strikes law in place it has only lead to an increase in incarceration. This increase may be due to many offenders facing life or double penalty for lesser …show more content…
In regards to the three strikes policy, MacDonald feels that more steps need to be taken in order for the population to continue to fall and then finally level out. Even though Proposition 36 has helped to correct the unneeded harshness in sentencing of consecutive offenders it still does not address the issues faced by second-strike offenders. These offenders still face extremely harsh sentencing and are only adding to the still overcrowded system. As these sentences continue to focus too much on punishment, opposed to rehabilitation, it may lead to a “perpetuate[d] disregard for the law” (MacDonald, 2013, p.