‘Three Strikes’ Crime Proposals

* American Bar Assn. President R. William Ide is using the wrong data when he states that “the United States has 1.3 million people in prison . . . with very little impact on crime rates over the past decade” (Jan. 27). Regardless of the number of people in jail, the data reported by Joseph Bessette (Commentary, Jan. 17) are more revealing: median time served for homicide, three years, four months; robbery, one year, 11 months; assault with a deadly weapon, one year, 11 months. There may be a lot of people in jail, but these criminals are not staying very long. Get out quick and do it again is what “three strikes” is trying to stop. Yes, it will cost serious money for more jail facilities unless we release so-called “victimless crimes” inmates. As for resources to try the accused, excuse me, but I think they are already being tried for their felonies, not once but several times. If they don’t come back again we will save money in the long run.

FORREST BONNER

Huntington Beach

* Before we get swept away by this lock-’em-up-and-throw-away-the-key mentality with the “three times and out” approach to crime, let’s consider one probable result of such a plan. Consider the two-time offender. What will be his reaction to the new law? When committing further crimes, he has been given an incentive to kill all witnesses. What has he to lose? He’s going to jail for life if he is caught, anyway.

Will we be making killers out of criminals who otherwise would probably not kill? We had better consider carefully all of the possible consequences of such laws.

ALLEN GILES

Rancho Palos Verdes

* Re the Feb. 14 editorial, “Three Strikes and You’re Where?”: What is missing from this dialogue is that victims are left out of the equation. Crimes that occur are crimes against a real victim, not crimes against the state.

Justice Fellowship, a national criminal justice reform organization founded by Charles Colson, former special counsel to President Nixon, introduces the concept of “restorative justice.” This means seeking justice and healing for those impacted by crime: the victim, the community and the offender. The offender must be held accountable for his actions, he must pay back his victim and seek to “make things right.”

If we are not seeking to do these things, “three strikes and you’re out” doesn’t help much. With overcrowding at 180% in our state prisons and rising, we know we cannot incarcerate everyone. Close to 60% of all those inmates serving time in our state prisons are nonviolent offenders.

Justice Fellowship supports community punishment for non-dangerous, nonviolent offenders. Giving judges an array of intermediate sanctions for targeted nonviolent offenders punishes the offender, holds the offender accountable to his victim, and promotes healing in the community where the crime occurred.

LISA M. REA

Justice Fellowship, Sacramento

* In all the current talk regarding crime, a central fact is ignored. For every 100,000 U.S. citizens, 407 are incarcerated. But for African Americans, the rate is 3,100--nearly eight times the national average. Coupled with this appalling figure is the fact that 60% of black males under the age of 24 are unemployed. The connection seems obvious: Unemployment and crime go together.

America needs to offer all young people access to meaningful jobs. This means proper education. Some community programs already are providing counseling and training for at-risk youth. In the South Bronx, for example, the Argus Learning for Living Center tutors in reading and other marketable skills. And in Los Angeles, a program called the Rites of Passage teaches skills needed to successfully complete educational programs. These programs gear at-risk youth away from crime and toward the marketplace.

In California, the cost of mandatory sentencing is likely to break the back of the state’s already straining economy. Estimates have projected that the $300 billion spent annually on California prisons would at least double by the end of the decade if third-time felons were jailed for life. Instead of making the government piggyback more tax burdens, why don’t we try to create taxpayers?

RICHARD ALEXANDER, Governor

California Trial Lawyers Assn.

San Jose

* I would be in favor of “three strikes” legislation if it also applied to the higher echelons of corporate America, i.e., three jobs sent overseas and you’re in for life.

Let’s face it. Crime is a social condition and is just as much the fault of ignorance in the infrastructure as it is of ignorance in the individual. We all suffer. We all pay. Wake up, society!

BURT WILSON

Simi Valley