The crime statistics in America are alarming. Crime is out of control. Law abiding citizens are afraid to leave their homes. The Three Strikes laws imposed federally and by more than half the states currently, was supposed to make the streets safer for everyone. Imprisoning violent criminals for 25 years to life for continuing to commit violent felonies seems like a good idea. But is the law being used in the way in which it was intended? Are the prisons being overcrowded with petty criminals who can be reformed? Should something referred to as transitional-age youth provide some defense for young offenders? The statistics show that having the habitual offender laws in place does not deter crime. The habitual offenders most often do …show more content…
Kenneth Anderson was featured in the PBS documentary “The Return”. Mr. Anderson had recently been released from prison under Proposition 36, a change in the Three Strikes law. Before the Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 or Proposition 36, anyone committing their third felony, regardless of the nature of the crime, could be sentenced under the Three Strikes law to spend at least 25 years and as much as life in prison. Proposition 36 changed the law to state that the third felony conviction must be of a violent or severe nature (ballotpedia.org, 2012). Kenneth Anderson had been twice convicted of robbery many years before his third conviction. Kenneth was married to Monica. Together they had four children. Mr. Anderson attempted to start his own janitorial business. Due to his lack of training and knowledge of the janitorial business, the business was not profitable. To ease the shame and humiliation for not being able to provide for his family, Mr. Anderson turned to drugs. He would steal to get the money for his drug habit. Mr. Anderson’s third strike was for purse snatching. Because of his two previous convictions, Mr. Anderson was sentenced under the Third Strike law to send a minimum of 25 years in prison. He served 12 years of that sentence (The Return,