Throughout the years, there has been much controversy weather The Three Strike Law is cruel and unjust, while judges have been giving disproportionate sentences. “The Eight Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of United States Bill of Rights prohibiting the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excess fines, or cruel and usual punishment, including torture.” Was the Three Strike Law unconstitutional? Was the intent to get violent repeat officers incarcerated for a long period, or to get all offenders with three strikes off the streets? Due to the Three Strike Law judges have been given disproportionate sentences in years. For instance, hours after the law went into effect California had its first offender, arrested
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Although within months California reformed the law, the state won’t release this dying man. Curtis Wilkerson strolled into a department store, places a pair of white plain socks worth two dollars and fifty cents in his bag, the security guards apprehend him and holds him until they decide whether they should call the cops. Although, one guard wanted him to pay for the socks one guard wanted to call the police and he did. The sentence was twenty-five years for being Wilkerson’s third strike, even though his two prior convictions were more than fifteen years prior. Seeing a group of kids eating a large pepperoni pizza, Jerry Williams walks up to them and asks for one, the kids say no and Jerry takes it anyway. His consequences for this crime were twenty-five years, due to his prior four prior nonviolent convictions. In addition to, Dale Curtis Gaines, suffered from both mental illness and mental retardation, suffered an abusive childhood, never committed a violent crime, yet sentenced to life in prison. His first two strikes were daytime burglaries of unarmed home, where he only stole pocket change and his third strike receiving stolen property. Lastly, an army veteran, with a heroin addiction, sentenced to fifty years in prison for stealing nine videos, Leonardo
Although within months California reformed the law, the state won’t release this dying man. Curtis Wilkerson strolled into a department store, places a pair of white plain socks worth two dollars and fifty cents in his bag, the security guards apprehend him and holds him until they decide whether they should call the cops. Although, one guard wanted him to pay for the socks one guard wanted to call the police and he did. The sentence was twenty-five years for being Wilkerson’s third strike, even though his two prior convictions were more than fifteen years prior. Seeing a group of kids eating a large pepperoni pizza, Jerry Williams walks up to them and asks for one, the kids say no and Jerry takes it anyway. His consequences for this crime were twenty-five years, due to his prior four prior nonviolent convictions. In addition to, Dale Curtis Gaines, suffered from both mental illness and mental retardation, suffered an abusive childhood, never committed a violent crime, yet sentenced to life in prison. His first two strikes were daytime burglaries of unarmed home, where he only stole pocket change and his third strike receiving stolen property. Lastly, an army veteran, with a heroin addiction, sentenced to fifty years in prison for stealing nine videos, Leonardo