Corrections Consequences of Three Strikes

Corrections

Consequences of Three Strikes Laws

This is one law that means what it says. Three Strikes and You're Out! In the mid-1990's, policymakers in more than half the states and the federal government responded to escalating crime rates by passing laws that imposed lifetime sentences on repeat offenders. Since then, the movement, which embodies the overall "get tough with crime" approach to the criminal justice sentencing system, has generated much controversy. Critics argue that Three Strike laws have consequences that are disproportionate, costly, and ineffective on crime (Walsh, 2007 ).

Disproportionate: While it is true a third strike does not have to be violent, it is also true that the first and second strikes do have to be serious or violent. So if you have two strikes and the third one is a petty thief you could do life in prison. Some augur this third strike is unfair (Reynolds, n.d.).

Costly: Three Strikes could cause over-crowding in prisons with non-violent offenders at a cost of $22,000 dollars per inmate per year (in California). Over-crowding has its own consequences: managing the over-crowding which could include early releases of prisoners, raising funds to build more prisons, and transferring prisoners to other correctional subsystems causing more overcrowding of those systems (Reynolds, n.d.).

Effectiveness: Does the law prevent crimes of two strike criminals? Some say no. Proponents for the law say it's had an enormous deterrent effect. Unlike other laws, with multiple loopholes to slip through, the words "Three Strikes" have meaning and consequence to repeat offenders. If Three Strikes deters a criminal from committing a crime, that is prevention!

Do boot camps have a future in United States corrections?

Boot camps are a correction sanction based on programming that is modeled after military basic training camp. Boot camp programs, also known as Shock incarceration, typically exist as an alternative sanction that is meant to be a punishment less severe than a sentence to prison incarceration, yet more severe than a sentence of probation (MacKenzie & Armstrong, 2004).

Boot camps have over the years faced scrutiny as intense as a drill instructor sizing up new recruits. From research doubting the validity of the military methodology to states shutting down the programs all together, the future of correctional boot camps has never been certain (Coppola, 2008 ).

Boot Camps can be an intensive six-month program of hard physical labor, academic education, drug treatment, and personal counseling. Inmate's, ages 16 through 39, who were convicted of non-violent crimes and are within three years of release are eligible to participate. Boot camp programs are continually being examined to see what changes need to be made -- are the programs working, and should they be continued in the future? But with nearly 36,500 graduates, along with providing its state a savings topping almost $1 billion, the New York State Department of Correctional Services' Prison Boot Camp Program is asserting its right to survive (Coppola, 2008 ).

What is the best solution for jail overcrowding?

The best solution might be using a combination of different efficiency measures. These same efficiency measures and alternative programs have been tested in jurisdictions throughout the country. Communities across the U.S. have sought to avoid the need for larger facilities without compromising community safety, and many have been successful in doing so with this system. Some examples of these efficiency measures include:

Citation programs: Programs that give citations to offenders without booking them through the arrest process. These citations can entail a notice to appear or a desk appearance ticket, and eliminate unnecessary jail bookings. This solution has been used in the case of low-level, misdemeanor crimes (Kaplan, 2004).

Improving Release Procedures for the Pretrial and Sentenced Populations: These improvements decrease jail populations by ensuring that people are moving through the system in a timely fashion (Kaplan, 2004).

Monitoring / Expediting Detention Cases: Hiring case monitors to continuously review jail inmates to identify those who could be diverted from the jail or individuals whose cases could be diverted in some manner to other correctional systems (Kaplan, 2004).