tly have iteither. By 1997, twenty-four states and the federalgovernment had adopted some form of three strikes mandatorysentencing laws (Schafer, 1999). Walker suggests as wellthat three strikes laws are nothing new and that “moststates have had some kind of habitual offender law for manydecades” (1998). There are two additional considerations that have beendocumented supporting Walker’s claim that three strikes is a“terrible crime policy.” The first is that it has forcedmore criminals both underground and to become more violent. Dannie Martin, an ex-convict with seven prior felonies onhis record, now a novel writer suggests through hisobservations that this new law has only forced criminals towork underground (1995). They are more often working aloneas well and created a “nothing-left-to-lose mentality” amongcriminals making them even more violent (1995: 2). “If arobber has two priors, a murder and an arson is no differentto him than a robbery” (1995: 2). Schafer found thatfifty-four percent of offenders responding to a survey heconducted responded that they “would kill witnesses or lawenforcement officers to avoid a life sentence” (1999: 10) Criminals believe that if they are going to have a mandatorysentence of life imposed on them they might as well go onestep further. The other concern is the racial disparity that isseemingly spawning from this new law. Walker brieflyaddresses this issue stating that “African-Americans werebeing sent to prison thirteen times as often under the lawas were whites” (1998: 140). Tischler affirms thisstatistic stating that “44 percent of those convicted underthree strikes laws are black” (1999: 1). Along with the supporting materials to Walker’sargument there is also opposing views that say that threestrikes laws are working. The first is the deterrent effectof three strikes laws. Any way you l...
