Sunday, November 13, 2011
Three Strikes as Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Three Strikes Humor
The three strikes law issued in California is a very controversial issue. This law requires a mandatory minimum for a sentence for each “strike” or crime an individual does. On the third strike, the individual receives 25 years to life in prison. It is so controversial because it does not consider the serious of the crime or if it was a violent or not violent crime. This cartoon makes fun at California’s three strike law and showing how easy it is to end up in prison.
Prison Reform : Just How Did it All Start?
Since the beginning of man's time on earth there has been crime. It is human nature to break the rules and if the society of that time judges the crime as wrong, it is human nature to punish. Prisons have been institutions that have been around for centuries but prison reform did not start coming into its own until the mid 18th century.
The Father of Prison Reform
Living up to his nickname quite well, John Howard is credited with starting the prison reform movement in the mid 1700's after being taken prisoner in Brest, France and then being moved again up the French Coast. He was later exchanged for a French officer held by the British, and he quickly traveled to the Commissioners of Sick and Wounded Seamen in London to seek help on behalf of his fellow captives. It is believed that it was this experience that generated his interest and drive to reform prisons. After being elected the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, he gained the power to inspect and reform the prison system in England. He was shocked to see the states that inmates were living in and brought their conditions to the attention of Parliament in 1774. From 1777 to 1790 Howard extensively traveled Europe conducting surveys and improving the state of prisons in may different countries. He wrote multiple books on the matter and was awarded honorary degrees and awards for his work.
Legacy Today
Almost eighty years after his death, the Howard Association was formed in London, with the aim of "promotion of the most efficient means of penal treatment and crime prevention" and to promote "a reformatory and radically preventive treatment of offenders". In its first annual report in 1867, the Association stated that its efforts had been focused on "the promotion of reformatory and remunerative prison labor, and the abolition of capital punishment." The Association merged with the Penal Reform League in 1921 to become the Howard League for Penal Reform. Today, the Howard League is Britain's biggest penal reform organization.
Big Names Advocating for Prison Reform
The basic principle of prison reform has weighed on the minds of both correctional officials and the public alike for centuries.And reform has come a long way in that time. We as a empathetic species have come a long way since punishments of the 19th century where punishments were "an eye for an eye", exacting a more severe punishment than would seem to be indicated by the crime. Global Prison Reform has started to change the system, and in the public sector, large well known names help push for change.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Marion Jones | ||||
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"If you don't equip the people who are in prison with the resources to get an education so that when they get out they can be successful, they're going to wind up right back in prison, or wind up being your neighbor, or worse, maybe marrying your daughter or your son," Stated Marion Jones, the track and field Olympian who was forced to return her many medals and serve six months in prison. She pled guilty for lying to investigators about taking performance-enhancing drugs Now she's an advocate for prison reform and is joining the on going movement to bring change to the correctional system today. Another big name would be Johnny Cash. A name synonymous with the hard struggle and mellow blues so many of his songs echoed, much like a long prison term. Cash recorded at and fought for many prison reforms and even appeared at the White House with Richard Nixon in 1972. Cash's recordings at Folsom Prison brought attention to the struggles being felt by those inside and made their plight seem real to the outside world. Referring to all convicts as his brothers, Johnny Cash not only mourns their suffering; he also cries out like an Amos against those who have the power to do something about the situation yet fail to act.
Referring to all convicts as his brothers, Johnny Cash not only mourns their suffering; he also cries out like an Amos against those who have the power to do something about the situation yet fail to act.
Read more about by johnny-cash-infocenter.com
Read more about by johnny-cash-infocenter.com
Read more about by johnny-cash-infocenter.comJo
Harsh Sentancing + Three Strikes = Deadly Concequences
Most intelligent people know that adding fuel or leaves to a burning fire will increase the size and intensity to that fire, and quite possible become uncontrollable. The Federal and state governments of our country have been engaged in this deadly game, and with out Prison Reform wrongful convictions will continue to haunt our correctional system for years.
Wrongful convictions are a reality with the current political and punishment strategy in the U.S.
Over the years there have been many cases in which the verdict was overturned and the inmate was realease upon DNA testing proved his or her innocence. The Innocence Project has come together to attempt to exonerate and cases with the remote possibility of a wrongful conviction and have been quite successful.
The Innocence Project has been quite successful, questioning the legitimacy of many cases
This brings the question to light for us as Americans, with out prison reform can we stand idly and knowingly send innocent men and women to prison? The change must come from the inside and reform must be brought to the policy makers and correctional officials. If not, let the statistics speak for themselves.
- Seventeen people had been sentenced to death before DNA proved their innocence and led to their release.
- The average sentence served by DNA exonerees has been 13 years.
- About 70 percent of those exonerated by DNA testing are members of minority groups.
- In almost 40 percent of DNA exoneration cases, the actual perpetrator has been identified by DNA testing.
- Exonerations have been won in 35 states and Washington, D.C.
Third Strike! You're OUT!
The Nation's Harshest Sentencing Policing
California passed the nations harshes sentencing policy in 1994 in the response to a brutal murder of a young girl by a repeat offender. There are around 8000 inmates in California that received the third strike and most of them are for non-violent crimes. When the prison population is as high as it is, reform must be taken to keep non-violent third strikers out of prison.
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