25-Year Sentence for Pizza Thief

* Re “Pizza Thief Gets 25 Years to Life,” March 3:

The “three strikes” law made me uncomfortable when proposed, dismayed when passed and upon reading about the pizza thief, I am both furious and heartbroken. According to your story, none of Jerry Dewayne Williams’ five prior convictions were for violent crimes. I have to wonder how violent one so unjustly punished will feel when he’s set free in 25 years for stealing a slice of pizza. He might as well move to Iraq.

I saw a white male reach into a bin of jelly beans and pop some in his mouth at a supermarket in West Hollywood the other day. I’ve witnessed such petty thefts many times, and though I find them offensive, I’ve always kept my mouth shut. Perhaps I should make a citizen’s arrest or contact store security. One strike. It’s only fair under current law. While I’m at it, I can report people for stealing software or cheating on their taxes. Three strikes before you know it.

Let’s throw all the thieves in jail, with the expense. (How much does it cost to feed a hungry school child so he can learn something so he can get a job?) Welcome to the cold new world.

BONNIE BURROUGHS PIERONE

Los Angeles

* There is nothing wrong with our “three strikes” law. It irritates me to hear bleeding-heart liberals say things like, “How can society send a man to prison for just stealing a piece of pizza?” Hey, wake up! The issue here isn’t what was taken, but that another crime was committed by a street thug.

Are we supposed to tolerate being victims of bullies and criminals for eternity? Are we supposed to tolerate being accosted on the street for our wallets, jewelry, jackets or our pizza? Each of the mentioned items, in and of itself, is fairly insignificant, unless it is taken from us or our children. It isn’t as if this perpetrator was apprehended for committing his first crime, or his second. The truth of the matter is, these “three strikers” have had many appearances before the legal system and have had many convictions for other lesser crimes prior to his first two convictions for felonious crimes.

I don’t care if this thug had taken a piece of bubble gum from that child. It was not his to take, and this jerk has to realize that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. I think he got the message this time.

JIM QUEZADA

Irvine

* You report (March 3) that because of budget constraints the sheriff is releasing early from jail up to 3,000 prisoners who committed “low-grade” crimes such as burglary and drunk driving.

And then you report that the criminal justice system is about to imprison for a minimum of 25 years, and at enormous cost, one man who stole a piece of pizza and one who stole $5.62 worth of meat.

Well, I for one sure feel a lot safer now.

ROBERT A. LEE

Redlands