Katy Carpenter
English 114
2 November 2012
A safer America
I am here today to inform you about prop 35 so that you can make an informed decision
on November 6th. This law revises the three strikes law to impose a life sentence only when
felony conviction is serious or violent…. (Established in 1994) This prop is only applicable to
third strike criminals. It authorizes resentencing for offenders currently serving a life sentence if
third strike was non-violent. This law proposes that third strike offender also referred to as
“third strikers” would be able to serve shorter sentences in cases of non-violent or non-serious
third crimes. The other change that the prop will change if enacted would be the resentencing
of some current third strikers. Only certain offenders can apply to be resentenced. The same
non-serious or non-violent rule still applies to this part of the prop according to the “Official
Voter Guide”.
I am speaking in favor of this prop being passed today. In 1994 we didn’t have the
technology or resources that we have today for catching criminals. We need to make room as
stated previously for serious offenders. We do not have enough room in prison for all of those
with a petty theft third strike. This costs the tax payers a pretty penny every year. To retry a
criminal it would be a lot cheaper and we could spend our time and effort on where it is really
needed. I was taking to a woman at the grocery store and she was telling me a compelling story
about her husband who bought a stolen computer, and is now spending his life in San Quentin
because of this non-serious third strike. He has three kids all high school age and his kids won’t
be able to make it to college without the support of their father. It is people like this who could
be helped by the passage of this law and quite frankly are taking up space in prison that could
go to murders instead of those convicted with petty theft.
Those who are in prison for petty theft as their third strike do deserve the chance of a
retrial. The retrial will be quick and efficient because of the language in this bill. It will save us
so much money as tax payers, and goodness knows how much California needs the money right
now. With this prop being passed it will stop the amount of life sentences and make it so that
we are only paying money where it is necessary to be spent. Therefore, we won’t waste our
money or the judicial courts time. Speaking of the judiciary’s time it takes much a lot longer for
a person who has a life sentence because they will constantly request to be appealed again. In
other words prisoners with non-serious third strikes are taking up the courts time, when it is
needed in other places. Our court system is already so congested it is foolish to continue on
with our old ways. With the passage of this prop the system would have time to deal with
more serious offenders and the entire process would become more efficient, and save our tax
dollars as well.
This law will also make room for the murders to be stowed away without a release
because of the overcrowding that has become such a big issue in California’s history! We will
keep the dangerous criminals behind bars and release the people who bounced a check as their
third offense. The third strikers that will be released will all have probation officers assigned if
the jury feels it a necessity. Therefore our streets will be safer because of this prop if it is
passed.
This prop has so many good things going for it. I am aware that the other side claims
that this is a badly worded bill and that we haven’t thought through the consequences of our
actions (“Bowen”). They claim that we will be releasing third strikers without probation
officers. This is a completely false statement. In the law there is language that sets up a system
in which the jury will decide when an offender is to be assigned a probation officer it will all be
case dependent but put even more emphasis on safety than ever before. One of the things that
is absolutely positive is that at this current moment, California prisons are so impacted that
they are convicting fewer and fewer people because they have no place to put the criminals.
We also know that third strike offenders deserve another chance in their last conviction was
non-serious or non-violent (“Official Voter Guide”). There is a whole group of people who
deserve to be living out the rights of an American and we are denying them because of a petty
theft of a computer or because a check bounces while paying his daughters tuition. Give third
strikers the chance that they deserve and the freedom that this country represents. Vote yes
on this bill to give someone the second chance they deserve, to save Californians the
unnecessary taxes, as well as ensuring safety and efficiency for our future.
Bibliography
Bowen, Debra. “Prop 36 Three Strikes Law. Repeat Felony Offenders. Penalties. Initiative Status.
Official Voter Guide. California Secretary of State. Web. 27. Oct. 2012.
"Three Strikes Law." California Secretary of State, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.