so you support three strike laws?
life in prison for stealing a golf club or a slice of pizza?
you think that calling me a mudscuttle will erase all the various disparities in sentencing and administering these laws?
ahh yeas, the old refrain.
Two Violent Felonies is one thing, but when they commit another felony, even if it's "non violent" they should be forgiven due to their "Tragic SES"
and the "stole a slice of pizza" guy didnt snatch a slice off the counter and run, he attacked an 8 year old child, pushed him to the ground, and ROBBED the kid i guess "assault with intent to do bodily harm, and Robbery" are Non-violent infractions where you come from bucky.
and Jerry DeWayne Williams' story gets even wierder.
This week, the
Los Angeles Times ran a bizarre feature on Jerry DeWayne Williams. The gist is that Williams is a victim of three-strikes even though he was not subjected to it. It is apparently enough that the law exists for Williams to continue to feel victimized by it. The reporter calls this serving a “life sentence” of having to abide by the law:
“I walk on eggshells,” [Williams] said. “Any little thing that I do, I could be back for the rest of my life.”
Strangely, however, not even that claim holds up under scrutiny. Williams has received lenience repeatedly since the pizza incident, a fact that neither he nor the reporter seem to view as a contradiction of his profound feeling of victimization. One of his subsequent crimes was even a threat of violence:
in September 2003, his girlfriend called 911 and reported that Williams was verbally abusing her. A police officer arrived to find Williams moving out after a fight and demanding $150 he had paid toward the bills. As the officer looked on, Williams told his girlfriend: “I’m going to put a bullet in your ass if I don’t get my money.”
A prosecutor and a judge let him off:
Williams, who was unarmed, was arrested and charged with making a criminal threat, a felony that could have landed him back in prison for life. But Kings County prosecutors did not treat the crime as a third strike. Williams pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor and was released from jail after 17 days.
And then he immediately broke the terms of his probation upon leaving prison, again with no consequences:
As part of his sentence, he was barred from leaving Kings County without permission. Nevertheless, Williams moved to Moreno Valley to live with another sister. An arrest warrant was issued and remains active.
And then again:
Since landing in Moreno Valley, he has been arrested once — for being drunk in public — but was released without charges being filed.
How on earth does the reporter square such facts with his depiction of Williams as a desperate, haunted man peering nervously over his shoulder, terrified of the slightest slip-up? He was not afraid to violate his probation. Twice. He was not afraid to threaten to murder someone — in front of a policeman. He doesn’t sound particularly frightened at all. He sounds as if he knows that he can avail himself of a passel of silk-stockinged civil liberties attorneys any time a knucklehead cop dares to take him in for attacking a woman, or some other offense.
He sounds as if he knows that his notoriety has placed him above the law.
In one of the many courtrooms, Williams has been sentenced in, a prosecutor “unfurled a computer printout of Williams’ criminal history that extended from his outstretched arm to the floor,” and yet Williams is not behind bars. Considering the gang and drug activities that consumed his earlier years, the threat of three-strikes has probably saved his life, but he is far too busy whining to be grateful.
~
http://crimevictimsmediareport.com/?p=2699
and
yes, i do support the Three Strikes Law.
previous conviction of TWO VIOLENT FELONIES should be a pretty good indication of whether the target can be a fairly good indicator of an offender's likelihood to re-offend.
leftist dolts who live in oregon dont have to experience the effects of crime, so for you, it's all just "Somebody Else's Problem" isnt it?