EDITORIAL : SENATORS ON STRIKE LIBERAL LAWMAKERS SNUB VOTERS' APPROVAL OF ``THREE STRIKES'' LAW.A state legislative committee is showing just how far some public officials will go in opposing the will of the voters - and in being soft on crime, too. As the Daily News reported Monday, Democrats who control the Senate Public Safety Committee are refusing to approve legislation to create tough new felony laws unless the affected crimes are exempt from the no-nonsense policy known as ``three strikes, you're out three strikes, you're out n. recent (beginning 1994) legislation enacted in several states (and proposed in many others, as well as possible Federal law) which makes life-terms (or extremely long terms without parole) mandatory for criminals who have been convicted .'' State voters passed the ``three strikes'' law to provide for longer prison sentences for criminals who are repeatedly convicted of serious or violent crimes. But some Democratic lawmakers flatly believe the voters were wrong and resist going along with the policy. Those legislators believe ``three strikes'' should not apply to nonviolent serious crimes. Those self-appointed members of the ``we know best'' club cannot erase ``three strikes,'' but they a have found a way to gum up the system. Their committee is successfully blocking legislation for new laws New Laws: see Las Casas, Bartolomé de. under ``three strikes.'' For instance, some proposed new categories of felonies - such as tougher laws for habitual drunken driving, certain suspected sex offenders sex offender n. generic term for all persons convicted of crimes involving sex, including rape, molestation, sexual harassment and pornography production or distribution. and perpetrators of domestic violence - have run into a brick wall in the committee. As long as those Democrats continue their resistance, don't expect to see much legislation on some of the pressing issues affecting residents of this state. In the interim, the Public Safety Committee - which ought to be an incubator for timely anti-crime legislation - should change its name to the Criminal Protection Committee. The committee chairman, Sen. John Vasconcellos John B. Vasconcellos (May 11, 1932 in San Jose, California) is an American politician from California and member of the Democratic Party. He represented the Silicon Valley as a member of the California State Assembly for 30 years and a California State Senator for 8 years. , D-San Jose, says he believes nonviolent criminals should not be subjected to the ``three strikes'' maximum sentence of 25 years to life. While he has a right to disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" the policy, it's unfortunate that Vasconcellos has set himself up as judge, jury and executioner EXECUTIONER. The name given to him who puts criminals to death, according to their sentence; a hangman. 2. In the United States, executions are so rare that there are no executioners by profession. . The voters of California already have spoken loudly and clearly. They want a tougher policy against repeat criminals. In addition, ``three strikes'' is not being applied blindly. Judges and prosecutors have increasing discretion in applying it in individual cases. The Senate committee's head-in-the-sand attitude benefits criminals who now can be prosecuted for misdemeanors instead of felonies. That means they are sentenced to county jail instead of state prison, and many of them are released prematurely as a result of jail overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. . Each month, about 29,000 inmates are released early from California jails - 7,000 who are awaiting trial and 22,000 before the completion of their sentence, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report from the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office. Some jails report that sentenced inmates will serve less than 20 percent of their sentences because of overcrowding. That bottleneck Senate committee isn't doing anything to help the logjam log·jam n. 1. An immovable mass of floating logs crowded together. 2. A deadlock, as in negotiations; an impasse. Noun 1. in the jails. |
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