3 strikes law passes in Legislature

[craigwatanabe]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

But then if you do that, then going be like Singapore ... very clean, very safe with lots of very cute girls walking around by themselves at night. That's fine with me.

But, forget to flush a public toilet, and that's S$1000 fine!!! (about USD$639.14) For spitting on the sidewalk (or just anywhere), that's S$500!!!

Police are everywhere, some undercover just to bust people. That cute chick you trying to ask out might be an undercover cop!!!

I forgot which comedian said it but basically: It's okay to throw up on a public sidewalk in New York, but you'll be fined $50 if you spit on it.

[kaneohegirl]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

But then if you do that, then going be like Singapore ... very clean, very safe with lots of very cute girls walking around by themselves at night. That's fine with me.

But, forget to flush a public toilet, and that's S$1000 fine!!! (about USD$639.14) For spitting on the sidewalk (or just anywhere), that's S$500!!!

but think the cops help pay themselves instead of just tax dollars... they create fine revenu.... if our cops generated as much fine revenue as there is crime can you imagine how clean and safe our streets could be?

we should be increasing the number of police on the streets... we could create a more diversified police force which would make the force more balanced in areas of high crime we could have more pacific islander, black , asian, hispanic as well as more white police to patrol areas
then maybe these "high crime areas" wouldnt feel like it is so color against color.
but instead we keep cutting the budget for those that we need to keep us safe.... where is the logic? less budget less cops = more crime

gahhhh take a hint from succesful relatively crime free countries (an no I aint that naieve I know they get crime too...) increase the police, police the police to ensure no corruption, make breaking the law painful (cane the punks), make breaking the law costly.....

ok I pau
outspoken as usual

[MadAzza]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

People who oppose three-strikes laws haven't been victimized enough by crime.

The "third strike" is *never* the third offense; more like the thousandth. Anyone who thinks the poor guy who steals a car and goes to prison for life only stole one car is an idiot. These are people who commit untold vicious crimes against human beings with no thought to anyone but themselves. KaneoheGirl is right -- don't just lock 'em up, beat them with canes first. And that goes double for every classless jerk who feel it necessary to launch his sputum in public.

I used to oppose three-strikes laws. Oh, what happy, naive, ignorant days those were!

[Jewlipino]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

I oppose three strikes laws because invariably they are worded in such a way that our penitentiaries become geriatric wards. Deal with the underlying causes that create repeat offenders or just impose the death penalty already. If we're gonna sentence someone to life in prison (read: slow death) why don't we just save a bunch of cash (and boy is it a bunch) and just execute them? Then we'll get people being executed for minor crimes that way people can see just how stupid three strikes laws are. I've read the three strikes law, and then looked up the legal definitions that it applies to, it becomes apparent that it casts TOO WIDE A NET. It is any wonder that it is primarily poor and disadvantaged people are the most likely to be repeat offenders and thus most likely to become a victim of hastily conceived and morally dishonest legislation? This law is about throwing the unempowered into prison, for life, which is as good as death in my book.

Jewlipino

[sinjin]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

I oppose all mandatory sentencing guidelines for the simply reason that we are paying big money for judges. Why don't we let them do the job they are there to do. Treat each case individually and determine an appropriate sentence.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

I oppose all mandatory sentencing guidelines for the simply reason that we are paying big money for judges. Why don't we let them do the job they are there to do. Treat each case individually and determine an appropriate sentence.

Yeah. Let's hear it for the independent judiciary! There are supposed to be three branches of government.

[Adri]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

Mandatory sentencing guidelines are almost always mandatory minimum sentences (imo) to make sure there is some consistency in sentencing and because there has been a decision (presumably by the public, since these mandatory sentencing laws have to pass through the legislative process) that certain kinds of crimes deserve at least that amount of punishment. There was a time when some (not all but some) judges seemed reluctant to sentence abusers of family and household members to jail time. The sentences for abuse of dogs was higher than most of the sentences for committing domestic violence. Then there was a mandatory minimum sentence for domestic abuse. In general, we trust our judges but judges have never had absolutely free reign.

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about truth-in-sentencing. Because sometimes people don't realize that even if someone is sentenced to many many years in prison, they can be released much earlier and also in Hawaii, a "life sentence without possibility of parole" doesn't really exist. After 20 years, the life sentence without possibility of parole can be commuted (and my understanding is that it is pretty automatically commuted) to life with the possibility of parole. Now that doesn't mean the prisoner automatically gets parole, but there is then the possibility of it.

[Jewlipino]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

We'll regret the day the 3 strikes law passed. Most states that have are backing down from it because of reasons I mentioned above. I want to float another crazy idea: Exile. 3 strikes and then your citizenship is revoked and you're kicked outta the country. I'm not saying I've thought this one totally through, but I'd rather outsource our criminals to other countries then spend the next 40+ years paying for their nursing home (aka prison)

Jewlipino

[Leo Lakio]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

We'll regret the day the 3 strikes law passed. Most states that have are backing down from it because of reasons I mentioned above. I want to float another crazy idea: Exile. 3 strikes and then your citizenship is revoked and you're kicked outta the country. I'm not saying I've thought this one totally through, but I'd rather outsource our criminals to other countries then spend the next 40+ years paying for their nursing home (aka prison)

Jewlipino

Hmmm. Well, America presently "outsources" our terrorism suspects to other countries that are far more lenient in what they permit as torture, so...

Let's hope none of the Mainland states argue "exile to Hawai`i" as an option; but isn't that how the English began colonization of Australia?

[Jewlipino]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

So true. There's a lot of fallout going down Down Under because of the Aussies' legendary racism and the effects that it has had on the Aborginal population. Some of the incidents are horrible....and disgusting. Poor people tend to get the shaft but if they happen to be indigenous as well then it's usually much worse.

Jewlipino

[florence nunes]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

don't agree with the three strike rule, three strikes okay, but thirty years?
wheres the rehabilitation in that? Seems the lawyers are gonna have fun with that one.

[Adri]

Re: 3 strikes law passes in Legislature

don't agree with the three strike rule, three strikes okay, but thirty years?
wheres the rehabilitation in that? Seems the lawyers are gonna have fun with that one.

I suspect the thought behind it is that if you have 3 felony convictions, then the criminal is probably not gonna be rehabilitated. I'm not saying I agree with the mandatory sentencing but I think the hope is that knowing one only got two chances to rehabilitate oneself would provide some kind of deterrent, at least for most people, against becoming a career criminal.