Three Strikes Law
According to The American Heritage Dictionary, law is defined as the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision or the controlling influence of such as rules that the condition of society brought about by their observance (481). However, there is a very unique law that borrowing its name from baseball. Which is the three strikes law, it imposed mandatory minimum sentences for individuals who have been convicted of three felony crimes that were committed on three separate occasions. According to Bazelon, the ideology behind the three strikes law is that individuals who commit more than two felonies are chronically criminal and therefore pose a threat to society. Three strikes law advocates, as a fair punishment and a benefit to society, thus view incarcerating these individuals for lengthy prison terms or the rest of their lives (2). In 1974, Texas was first state that enacted three strikes law. Following year, Washington enacted and California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota enacted in 1994. Furthermore, in 1995 and 1996, fifteen states are also enacted the three strikes law (Crane 1). As crime and violence increased in the United States, citizens began to feel powerless. Terrorized in their own neighborhoods by criminals, who go in and out of the legal system, people began to believe there was no justice for them. Ironically, many people feared so much the gangs, drug dealers, pushers, and hustlers of the streets. An enormous outcry came about, requesting the government to fix the increasing crime rate. The answer to this dilemma came in the form of the three strikes law. According to Jabali-Nash, proposition 184, also known as the three strikes law, was passed on November 9, 1994. The proposal had portion of the population supporting it at the ballot boxes. With a 75