A person that commits two or more serious crimes must get the punishment that they deserve. With that in mind, a total of 28 states came to form a law called the Three Strikes Law. This law was made to increase the punishment level for criminals who committed two or more serious and heinous crimes. In other countries, when a criminal reaches the third strike, his punishment will automatically be life imprisonment because of the three-strike law.
For some countries, the added punishment would only increase the criminal’s prison sentences, but the chances of the criminal not getting a life prison sentence are low. Serious crimes mentioned are involved in murder, sexual assault, rape, smuggling, and many more. There are still rumors about questioning the validity of this law, and others don’t agree with the three-strike law with their reasons. To balance your perspective about this law, here are some pros and cons that you should know about the three-strike law.
Pros
● It can be used to prevent people from committing crimes
With the threat of being imprisoned for a lifetime, criminals will surely think multiple times before committing a crime. This law is guaranteed to reduce the crime rate in a city or even in small communities. The law will also help maintain the order to ensure that society will experience living in greater peace.
● The law applies to convicts only
The people who experienced a felony arrest don’t have to worry about having a strike because the law will only count to those convicted of the crime. No matter how many times you are arrested, you don’t have to worry about having any strike counts as long as you are not proven guilty.
● It keeps habitual offenders in prison
Criminals who just got out will also be forced to have a new life and not be tempted to do heinous crimes again. Some criminals, especially those who have served long years, tend to end up going back to jail for committing another crime. With the help of the three-strikes law, persistent criminals who got bailed or got released will surely be stopped or discouraged from committing crimes.
Cons
● Too many chances
Most criminals will presume that as long as they only reach 2 strikes, it’s not a threat at all. They would likely rethink committing a crime if they already committed 2 crimes. In other words, it will only be a deterrent to crime if the criminals already committed two crimes. The third strike will already be life imprisonment, but there would already be many victims before the third strike comes. Criminals who committed only one crime will tend to go back and do another crime before hitting that third strike. Basically, this law is too forgiving.
● Shows the flaws of rehabilitation
The law is simply saying that the rehabilitation program implemented in prison is not working because they need this law to stop criminals from committing a crime for the third time. It is like an insult to the whole prison system, and it shows that they are not doing anything to change the life of criminals, which is supposed to be their jobs.
● Ignite corruption and injustice
Suppose a criminal is caught with a serious crime for the third time in the presence of the three-strike law. In that case, the criminal will undoubtedly do anything just to avoid being convicted and be punished by a life imprisonment sentence. Other unethical lawyers and judges might take this as an advantage and strike a deal with the trialed criminal. By doing so, they are tolerating injustice and would mess up the whole justice system.
