Three Strikes Law
There are numerous problems associated with the prison system in the state of California. More than a few of these problems are directly caused by the state's infamous Three Strikes legislation -- in which individuals who receive three felonies are sentenced to 25 years to a life term in prison. In codifying the problems related to the state's prison system as identified by the essay written by the politician who was eligible for reelection, it becomes apparent that the most salient of these are the huge expense associated with quartering so many prisoners, overcrowding, and a lack of rehabilitation.
In 2010, the state spent a total of nearly 8 billion dollars to quarter, feed, and provide healthcare for prisoners, which represents a 12.2 percentage of costs outside of the state budget (Vera, 2012). These budgetary constraints are due in large part to the fact that the prisons are egregiously overcrowded, with the state's prisons at close to 200% capacity in 2011 (Skolnick, 2011). Additionally, the amendment to the Three Strikes law as provided by proposition 36 (which was passed in 2012) demonstrates how ineffective the current prison system is in reforming prisoners. This amendment enables prisoners convicted of third strike that is not serious or violent to not receive a 25 to life sentence. It is telling that since Proposition 36 was passed, crime in California has slightly increased. Additionally, the politician's essay reveals the fact that frequently incarceration is a place in which criminals can congregate and refine their tactics and strategies for future criminal endeavors.
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