Bratton vs. Baca: Three Strikes or Not?
Has the Three Strikes law in California had any impact in the reduction of crime? In an eight-minute video news blog Sheriff Leroy Baca and LAPD Chief William Bratton strongly disagree. The Full Disclosure Network™ has produced the debate between the two TOP COPS in L. A. and which is available “Free On Demand”, 24/7 as a public service at http://www.fulldisclosure.net/flash/VideoBlogs/VideoBlog21.php Also featured in the video blog is Three Strikes author, former California Assemblyman Bill Jones and L. A. Mayor Antonio Villargairosa.Baca tells Full Disclosure Network™ host Leslie Dutton, that the Three Strikes law has been tremendously important and effective, resulting in the downside of serious and violent criminal behavior. In contrast LAPD Chief Bratton attributed the drop in crime to “good police work” saying he opposes the Three Strikes law, favoring supervised judges and prosecutors to deal with the sentencing of criminals. When asked if the Three Strikes law had any impact at all on crime reduction in the City, Bratton said no
According to the California Legislative Analyst’s study 80,000 second strikers and 7,500 third strikers have been prosecuted under the Three Strikes law, resulting in 43,000 inmates incarcerated, representing 26 percent of the total prison population.
Former Assemblyman Bill Jones explains the history of the Three Strikes law and its intent to stop the revolving door for repeat offenders who were responsible for 60 to 70 percent of violent crimes.
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 2/14/2006 12:10:00 AM
9 Comments:
Three strikes works.
It needs a little fine tuning, because there are cases where a third strike will put a person stealing a pizza because he's hungry away for 25 years to life. The isolated, anecdotal cases where there is acute injustice can be dealt with by the proposed changes being touted by DA Steve Cooley right now. He just wants to make the third strike be a violent felony before we put them away for good.
Meanwhile, I contend that the bank robbers, and other armed robbery folks just prefer to work their trade somewhere else where the penalties aren't so stiff, so they move to a state that is a bit more lenient when you get caught.
What's the matter with that?
The "stealing pizza" shit is urban legend, like Big Foot and Chupacabra. Some ACLU lawyer concocted that crap years ago to fight 3 strikes, and yahoos all over have been touting it the same way psychotic "sybil libertarians" keep spinning crap about "innocent people" being put to death through capital punishment.
(OH, and the BIG 3rd strike against the whining liberal lies is "death penalty does not deter". . . show me ONE DAMN murderer put to death through due process that has EVER killed again, and I'll join the fucking ACLU myself). Meanwhile, I can name a half dozen that have murdered AGAIN, while sitting on death row for 20 years exhausting mind-numbing appeals.
I've got more proof the tooth fairy exists (because my teeth always disappeared from under my pillow), than anyone has that either of these spin-cycle regurgitated horror stories (3 strikes pizza and "non-detered" dead murderers) about criminal punishment run amok is true.
Any rational person would agree that the 3 Strikes law is flawed in some of the ways it is implemented. In the 1990's Willie Brown and Gov. Wilson created the prison-industrial complex - and its power and ferocity is something neither party can really stand up to.
To the pizza-slice deniers out there (you guys must be in a club with the Holocaust and Lunar Landing Deniers), I submit this humble link from the San Francisco Chronicle regarding life sentences for petty theft.
I am all for law and order, but this law only treats the symptoms of system that doeasn't look out for its own citizens. Throwing away so much human potential, and turning thousands and thousands of able bodied young men into unemployable vagrants, is going to drag our ecomony into the dumps (it keeps labor scarce, and it makes taxes high to support the penal system). The "lock 'em up" attitude feels right, but I think it is a bad public policy.
I read the story on your link, Ubray.
No reference to stealing pizza. . . sorry, that still "urban legend" but what it does say is BOTH MEN HAD EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL RECORDS, INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO SERIOUS OR VIOLENT CRIMES -- so tell it to the tooth fairy.
These are FELONY third strikes, not "petty theft". . . DA's don't have to prosecute; judges can throw the cases out before they go to trial if they feel the people can do something better with their lives, but they all know these are unrepentent, habitual criminals who prey on innocent people daily, weekly, and endlessly -- whether they get caught every time, or not.
And you're just one "petty theft" mugging away from being a believer, yourself. Everyone is.
Oh yes, the definition of a conservative is a liberal that just got mugged.
Of course, the definition of a liberal is a conservative that just got indicted.
ONE DOES NOT do 25 to life in prison for stealing pizza. This is intentionally blown out of context by the left. One must first be convicted of TWO VIOLENT
FELONIES, do time for both, and then be stupid enough to commit yet another felony once freed. We have a term for such people - recidivists. They are responsible for most crime and belong in a separate, highly structured environment. Three strikes is almost too little too late but at least it helps break the revolving door policy.
To the nasty, nasty tip of the left wing - it is not schools OR prisons, we need both. We need prisons to put gang members in so kids can walk home from school in peace. I wish only pricks from the ACLU were the victims of the crimes committed by these repeat felons. The communities victimized the worst are poorer communities the left pretends to give a fuck about as they fight 3 strikes and other laws designed to suppress criminal activity. It is truly disgusting and perverse – there are good people suffering in these communities because we as a society do not do enough to weed out the bad apples.
Remember kids: For victim’s rights (or preventing people from becoming victims in the first place) Long live 3 strikes! Vote against anyone who opposes it or wants to weaken it.
3:50 p.m.,
You obviously missed the part where it said:
"Jerry Dewayne Williams
-- Third strike: Petty theft for stealing a slice of pepperoni pizza in Redondo Beach in July 1994.
-- Previous strikes: Robbery and attempted robbery. "
Is it an honest mistake, or outright dishonesty, that you are guilty of?
I hope you are never judged as you have judged others.
Here is an illuminating quote which demonstrates that this law could use some tweaking:
"The law makes life sentences mandatory for third strikes, with no parole possible for 25 years. The chief reason for its broad sweep is a unique rule counting any felony -- a crime punishable by more than a year in prison -- as a third strike.
Another unique California law, which dates from 1872, accounts for many of the three-strike cases regularly cited by opponents -- prisoners serving life terms after stealing pizzas, bicycles, bottles of vitamins or videotapes, as in one of Wednesday's cases.
The 131-year-old law converts petty theft, the shoplifting of less than $400 worth of goods, into a felony at the prosecutor's request if the defendant has previously served time for a theft-related crime. Petty theft is normally a misdemeanor with a maximum term of six months in jail.
State prison records show that out of more than 7,600 inmates serving at least 25 years to life for third strikes, about half committed violent crimes as their third strike and 353 committed petty theft."
Does that cut through your "they're all terrible people" bullsh*t enough?
Pure scum.... lock 'em up; throw away the key... let them all kill each other.
Bada-bing
Or, else, move them next door to Ubray, and see how he likes it.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home