The Three Strike Law Does It Actually Work Essay

The Three Strike Law: Does it Actually Work? By Marissa Smith United States throughout history has tried many different ways to deter criminals from committing crime. One of the more famous polices enforced was the Three Strikes sentencing laws, and other â€Å"get tough† approaches. In 1994, the Three Strikes sentencing law was first established (Couzens, J. Richards and Tricia A. Bigelow). The law stated that any defendant convicted of any new felony, having been convicted before of a serious felony to be sentenced to state prison for twice the term otherwise given for the crime. If the defendant was convicted of any felony with two or more prior strikes, the law mandated a state prison term of at least 25 years to life (Couzens, J. Richards and Tricia A. Bigelow). In California and Washington, the three strike law was adopted and in both states showed contradictive results. It has become a very controversial form of deterrence and is widely debated if the three strikes sentencing laws actually deter criminals from committing crimes. In several different states what actually counts as a strike against an offender varies dramatically (Clark, John). Violent felonies are typically counted as a strike offense; these include murder, rape, robbery, arson, aggravated assault, and carjacking (Clark, John). Although violent felonies are not the only offenses counted (Clark, John). In Indiana and Louisiana the sale of drugs can be considered a strike offense andShow MoreRelatedProblems with the Three Strikes Laws Essays1502 Words   |  7 Pagesmost controversial laws in the efforts to reduce crime has been the three-strikes laws that have been enacted. This law, which is already in twenty-seven states, requires that offenders convicted of three violent crimes be sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. The law is based on the idea that the majority of felonies are committed by about 6% of hard core criminals and that crime can be eliminated by getting these criminals off the streets. Unfortunately, the law fails to take intoRead MoreCan Racial Profiling Be Justified1612 Words   |  7 Pages Can Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement Be Justified Cornelius Morgan CRJ 125: Criminology (W04) November 15, 2015 Abstract: In 1994 Polly Klaas was kidnapped from a slumber party at her home in California and later murdered by Richard Allen Davis who already had 2 prior convictions for kidnapping on his record. The public was outraged that a repeat offender was able to attack again. 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The drug trade in America simply continues to rise. The problem is that we are not fighting the war on drugs the right way. We have created laws that do not help the drug users with their addiction, in fact many actually make it more difficult for the drug addicts to start a new life. When a drug user is arrested he or she is often sentenced to prisonRead MoreThe Incarceration Of A Prisoner1464 Words   |  6 Pagesand educate the public about braking the law, yet many prisoners’ crimes are not met with equal sentences but too severe. America has high incarceration rates because of laws making it easy to get into prison, poor rehabilitation programs, and for the incarceration of people whom should not be. The purpose of laws in society is to provide guidelines by which citizens must live by. These guidelines are meant to protect everyone, yet sometimes these laws not only protect but over protect. For instanceRead MoreEssay on Prison Growth In American From 1970-20081674 Words   |  7 Pagesbehind bars; however just because there is an increase in the numbers it does not mean its due to an increase in crime. To further emphasize just how significant the growth is, the population in 1970 was around 300,000 but now the population in 2008 is over 2.3 million (BJS 2006). However there is not necessarily a parallel increase with crime; instead experts are putting the growth down to popular measures such as the three-strikes, truth in sentencing and broken window policies. Different statesRead MoreAgainst Mandatory Sentencing Debate970 Words   |  4 PagesA mandatory sentence is one where judicial discretion is limited by law; those convicted of certain crimes must be punished with at least a minimum number of years in prison. The most famous example of mandatory sentencing is the ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy adopted first in California in 1994, and now more widespread in the USA. Three strikes laws require life imprisonment for a third criminal conviction, but other forms of mandatory sentencing are now being discussed and implemented

Anylitical Essay Topic the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency...

Alexander McCall Smith, the author of the award winning novel The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency spoke in a recent interview in The Sydney Morning Herald (December 2006) about his famously optimistic views of Africa and its people. The works of many African authors express rather grim and bleak views in comparison to McCall Smith’s view. In a â€Å"Foreign Correspondent† interview McCall Smith says Botswana is a very beautiful country and that Africa transformed him into a best selling novelist and made him famous for his views on hope and optimism. There is a strong sense of family and community that gives cause for belonging, hope and optimism. McCall Smith creates hope and optimism in his novel through his characters and their events. The†¦show more content†¦He says of the white man He was a good man and he listened to me carefully when I told him that I would have to go. There was no other white man I could have spoken to like that, but he understood (McCall Smith 2003, 24) Obed also gives a sense of hope when a white man finally shakes hand with a black man ‘So I called him my brother, which is the first time I had done that to a white man’ (McCall Smith 2003, 25) showing that two races of people that have had so many transgressions in the past have now joined to give cause to optimism. Obed has had his life span shortened due to the fact that he is working in the mines and breathing in the dust has eaten away his chest. He is sad not for his own body but The only thing that makes me sad is that I shall be leaving Africa when I die. I love Africa, which is my mother and my father. I shall miss the smell of Africa (McCall Smith 2003, 15) McCall Smith shows that Obed is positive about living in Africa and he is a great example of optimism through his story. Mma Ramotswe is disappointed in her first month in opening her detective agency because she has a loss in profits but has hope that things will pick up for her. She has been given an opportunity when a very rich man, Mr Patel called her for a job ‘Mma Ramotswe was delighted when she received the telephone call from Mr Patel’ (McCall

Factors Affecting Sporting Performance Free Essays

Several factors affect our sporting performances, some of which are ‘natural’ factors, and some of which we cause. An example of a natural factor is our gender. We do not choose to be male or female and therefore it is something that occurs naturally. We will write a custom essay sample on Factors Affecting Sporting Performance or any similar topic only for you Order Now An example of a factor caused by ourselves is our diet- what we eat and drink. We can decide what we want to eat be it healthy or not healthy, the decision is ours. Age is a natural factor affecting performance. When you are very young, your bones and muscles are still growing and because your bones are still growing they are a lot softer than a fully-grown adults are. This helps young children to be very flexible and very supple, which in turn affects their performance. But being fully-grown in some sports is better than young and supple. Because adults are fully-grown, they are a lot stronger than a child is. All the muscles are developed properly and so in a sport such as cycling it would be an advantage to be a fully-grown adult than a developing child, whereas in gymnastics it would be an advantage to be very supple because of the certain exercises involved. Our gender affects our performance a great deal. A mans frame is generally wider and taller than a woman’s is. Women after they reach puberty develop wider hips which hinders their running ability, whereas a man develops larger muscles due to the increased level of testosterone in their bodies. Women generally have muscles smaller than a mans, so men have a head start already in any power sports such as weightlifting or sprinting which require a lot of physical strength. The size of your internal organs affects performance, in that if you have for example larger than average lungs, you can inhale an awful lot of air which contains oxygen, and so more oxygen can be sent to the muscles to keep them going for longer. Similarly if you have a healthy heart, it can pump the blood to your muscles quicker. And contained in the red blood cells is the oxygen that your muscles need to keep working. Having a healthy heart and large lungs can be a great advantage in an endurance sports event such as rowing or cross-country running. The use of drugs, banned substances, cigarettes and alcohol all effect the way in which we perform in sports. Drugs affect our performance in a positive way. They make us more alert, bulk up muscles and improve strength, increase speed and stamina, and get lots of oxygen to our muscles. Apart from cheating by taking drugs, they ruin our internal organs such as the liver and kidneys. In some cases drugs ruin your fertility because of the effect they have on the body. Cigarettes affect the way the heart and lungs work. The lung capacity of a smoker is considerably less than a non-smoker. Because the lung capacity is less than normal, this means that less oxygen enters the body and less oxygen goes into the red blood cells which are supposed to take oxygen to the muscles. Because of the lack of oxygen in the muscles, they can’t work as well as usual. And if the muscles aren’t working properly you can’t play any sport well. Alcohol slows down reaction time and de-hydrates the body. If your reactions are slowed down in a fast game such as squash, it is likely that you will lose because you have to be alert at all times and if alcohol is present in the body, your performance will be affected. Your diet is very important if you want to stay fit and healthy. If a professional athlete changed their diet to one with sweet and fatty foods it would affect their performance, because too much sugar and fat in the body is unhealthy and it makes you gain extra weight to carry around when you are in action. If the diet you currently have has too many bad things in it, it can start to strain your heart. If you have a very well balanced diet, which is full of fresh fruit and vegetables it keeps your body healthy and full of energy. Also, if your diet lacks a certain amount of sugar, you can have low energy levels which makes your body work slower and not up to speed. It is good to take certain vitamin supplements to make sure that your body is totally up to scratch and eating plenty of foods with iron and different minerals. Illness is quite a major factor in your sporting performance. If you have just started to recover from flu or a bad virus, your body will be very weak from fighting off the virus because lots of your energy is taken up by getting better, so if you went down to a football pitch and tried to play 90 minutes of football the chances are that your performance will be very poor because your muscles will be tired, you won’t be very alert and you will be fatigued and lethargic. An athlete who is clear from illness is far more likely to give a very good performance because they are fully fit, alert, and not tired. The environment makes a difference in most outdoor sports. Athletes who train at high altitude have an advantage, because there is a higher level of oxygen in the air and so more oxygen gets into the blood and to the muscles so they can keep going for longer in for example a marathon run or rowing. A high level of pollution in the air also means that there is difference in oxygen level, but instead of being higher like in high altitude, it is lower due to the impurities in the air. If there is less oxygen, less can be brought into the body, and so the muscles don’t receive the necessary oxygen, so they can’t work as well. The weather also makes a difference in performance outdoors. During a sprint race, if there is a wind blowing towards the athletes, it will be harder for them to run at a world record pace, because they have to work harder to run into an opposing force. Heat affects sprinters as well, if it is too cold, their muscles sometimes are not warm enough, so they could get injured or pull a muscle. If it is warm or even hot when they are running, their bodies and muscles will already be warm and ready to go, so when they are running, their muscles will be working at their best. Your lifestyle is a very important to keeping fit and healthy. A good active lifestyle will result in a healthy body. If you do plenty of exercise and eat healthily you can train for a sport easier, and your body has already set the foundations to keeping fit and keeping up with training. If you get little exercise and stay indoors most of the day, your body will be used to not doing anything too energetic, so if you suddenly go out and do an intense training session the chances are that your body will not be able to cope. How to cite Factors Affecting Sporting Performance, Papers