[Seattle-editorial] FP: Three Strikes Law

[jonathan lawson]

subtitle: REEXAMINING WASHINGTON'S THREE STRIKES LAW
title: Until the End of Their Days

Ten years after Washington voters passed the "three strikes, you’re out" 
initiative, nearly 220 prisoners sit behind bars for life. Proponents say 
that we’ve put away the "worst of the worst." But 40 percent of those who 
have "struck out" have done so because of robbery convictions, compared 
with 12 percent who are serving life for murder, and 20 percent for a sex 
crime under the three-strikes statute. In Washington, nearly 36 percent of 
all three strikers are African American, though they represent merely 3.2 
percent of the state population. Opponents of three strikes say the net 
cast by this law has extended far too wide. According to critics, 
committing people to prison for life – and especially for non-violent 
crimes or crimes committed under the influence of drugs and alcohol – 
ignores the real potential for rehabilitation.

<p><a href="http://www.colorsnw.com/cover_story.shtml"><i>Colors 
Northwest</i>'s Silja Talvi has the whole story.</a>