Effectiveness of 3-Strikes Law

Re “Three-Strikes Law Has No Effect, Study Finds,” March 2, and “Three Strikes: Ineffective, Costly,” editorial, March 7: Analyzing the study conducted by the Justice Policy Institute, I find it to be flawed. The three-strikes law cannot be viewed in isolation. There are many variables that would impact a statistical study of this nature. Other factors such as increased crime prevention efforts, more officers, more jails or more community involvement would significantly affect the outcome of the study. No effort was made to consider these and other variables.

The study also uses sweeping assumptions that have no basis or foundation. The study, for instance, assumes that the age group most affected by the law is 30 to 39. There is no logic to this assumption and no explanation as to how this age group was selected.

Statistics revealed by the California Department of Justice last year show that there have been dramatic drops in California’s crime rates since three strikes.

BERNARD C. PARKS

Chief of Police, LAPD

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I wish we would stop being fools about fighting crime. Three-strikes laws, longer sentences and restrictions on prisoner rights are only knee-jerk responses that have made the U.S. in general and California in specific the most repressive “nations” on Earth. Ultimately, we will all either be inmates or jailers. People should support SB 79 and other legislation that rolls back the evil we wrongly refer to as a “justice system.”

BARRINGTON A.S. DALTREY

Attorney, Riverside