9.13: Current Issues in Corrections- War on Drugs and Gangs
Transcarceration
Get Tough Policies
[1] This policy increased sentence lengths for 40 felonies, which included life imprisonment. Perhaps the largest 3 strikes policy was in 1994, in California, with Proposition 184, commonly called the Three Strikes and You’re Out policy. It mandated a minimum of 25 years of prison for individuals committing 3 felonies. What made this policy more pervasive than others was the way in which it could be applied. If a person had two previous strikes for violent, or serious felonies (not necessarily violent), any new felony was life imprisonment, with a minimum of 25 years. For a more detailed view of this policy, see https://lao.ca.gov/2005/3_strikes/3_strikes_102005.htm
Federal Drug Inmates
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Wright, P. (1995). Three strikes racks ‘em up.
Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, 6
(2), 3-6.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=162918
↵
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Meierhoefer, B. (1992). The general effect of mandatory minimum prison terms: A longitudinal study of federal sentences imposed.
Federal Judicial Center
. www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/2012/GenEffMM.pdf
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