I have to disagree with that. 3 strikes and you do 20-life in jail ?
For smoking marijuana, a private activity???
https://www.aclu.org/other/10-reasons-oppose-3-strikes-youre-out
10 Reasons to Oppose “3 Strikes, You’re Out”
The American public is alarmed about crime, and with good reason. Our crime rate is unacceptably high, and many Americans feel like prisoners in their own homes, afraid to venture out for fear of becoming another statistic.
For more than past 20 years, state and federal crime control policies have been based on the belief that harsh sentencing laws will deter people from committing crimes. But today, with more than one million people behind bars, and state budgets depleted by the huge costs of prison construction, we are no safer than before. New approaches to the problem of crime are needed, but instead, our political leaders keep serving up the same old strategies.
Take the so-called “3 Strikes, You’re Out” law, for example. Embraced by state legislators, Congress and the President himself, this law imposes a mandatory life sentence without parole on offenders convicted of certain crimes. Despite its catchy baseball metaphor, this law is a loser, for the following reasons.
1. “3 Strikes” Is An Old Law Dressed Up In New Clothes
Although its supporters act as if it is something new, “3 Strikes” is really just a variation on an old theme. States have had habitual offender laws and recidivist statutes for years. All of these laws impose stiff penalties, up to and including life s entences, on repeat offenders. The 1987 Federal Sentencing Guidelines and mandatory minimum sentencing laws in most states are also very tough on repeaters. The government may be justified in punishing a repeat offender more severely than a first offender, but “3 Strikes” laws are overkill.
2. “3 Strikes” Laws Won’t Deter Most Violent Crimes
Its supporters claim that “3 Strikes” laws will have a deterrent effect on violent crime. But these laws will probably not stop many criminals from committing violent acts. For one thing, most violent crimes are not premeditated. They are committed in anger, in the heat of passion or under the influence of alcohol. The prospect of a life s entence is not going to stop people who are acting impulsively, without thought to the likely consequences of their actions.
Another reason why repeat offenders do not consider the penalties they face before acting is because they do not anticipate being c aught, and they are right. According to the American Bar Association, out of the approximately 34 million serious crimes committed each year in the U.S., only 3 million result in arrests.
3. “3 Strikes” Laws Could Lead To An Increase In Violence
Many law enforcement professionals oppose the “3 Strikes” law out of fear such laws would spur a dramatic increase in violence against police, corrections officers and the public. A criminal facing the prospect of a mandatory life sentence will be far more likely to resist arrest, to kill witnesses or to attempt a prison escape. Dave Paul, a corrections officer from Milwaukee, Oregon, wrote in a newspaper article: “Imagine a law enforcement officer trying to arrest a twice-convicted felon who has nothing to lose by using any means necessary to escape. Expect assaults on police and correctional officers to rise precipitously.” (Portland Oregonian, 3/94). Ironically, these laws may cause more, not less, loss of life.
10 Reasons to Oppose "3 Strikes, You're Out" | American Civil Liberties Union