A Game You Can't Win

A Game You Can’t Win The American public is alarmed about crime, and with good reason. Our crime rate is unacceptably high, and many Americans feel like prisoners in their own homes, afraid to venture out for fear of becoming another statistic. For more than 20 years, state and federal crime control policies have been based on the belief that harsh sentencing laws will deter people from committing crimes. In 1997, armed criminals in Florida committed …

…these violent acts for first offenses. The “3 Strikes” law will not stop most criminals from committing violent acts, as most crimes are not premeditated. They are committed in anger, in the heat of passion, or under the influence of alcohol. The prospect of a life sentence is not going to stop people who are acting impulsively. We will begin to realize a less crime-infested society when we begin to deal with our weak penalization policies.