The 3-Strikes Law Incorrectly Legitimizes the Use of Violence and
Punishment
Upholding the basis of all our governmental laws is violence and the threat of
violence. Putting people in prison is an act of violence and the longer we put people in
prison, the more violence we are committing.
Our politicians pretend that the 3-Strikes law and harsh punishments are something
that is new. This is not so. There have been many leaders and rulers throughout history
that have been deluded into believing that "law and order" and "the power
of violence and punishment" are the answers to society's problems. A police force in
symbolic uniforms with weapons at their side and the threat of severe punishments have
played a part in horrendous abuses in many different countries throughout history.
Like a drug, people are lured into the belief that violence and harsh punishments are
good. The immediate short-term results can be spectacular. When Hitler came to power in
Germany, he was very harsh on criminals. Along with his anti-Semitic rhetoric, Hitler also
declared death to all the criminals. When the Nazi party took over, criminal sanctions
became much more severe. Juvenile delinquents were shipped by the truckloads out to
workcamps in the countryside. The first few years the crime rate decreased dramatically.
The Nazi government announced the decreasing crime rates and further glorified its harsh
actions. The people of Germany increasingly believed in the power of violence and harsh
punishments. Law and order backed by brute force and severe violence became the answer to
all of Germany's problems. The people became so mesmerized that they didn't even notice
that crime rates stabilized after only a few years and then began to increase--but by then
it didn't matter. They had more pressing concerns--it was time to spread "law and
order" and "brute force" around the world. And the best way of doing that
was to use the "brute force" and "violence" that they had come to
cherish. The results, as we know, were disastrous.
The greatest danger of the 3-Strikes law is not the tax dollars spent on it or the
direct injustice of its use on people--although these are horrible in themselves--the
greatest danger is that people will believe that the law and the use of violence and harsh
punishments are answers to our problems. That is the ultimate horror of the law.
When people come to believe that the government's use of "violence" and
"harsh punishments" are good, that is when society is most susceptible to having
humans commit oppressive actions on other humans. When we hand over the reigns of violence
to our rulers it becomes an absolute power--and as an absolute power, it becomes the most
absolutely corrupt. Whether the Roman Empire, the British Empire, the Zulus under Shaka
Zulu, the Soviet Union, the Nazis, or white South African government--all became deluded
into believing that violence and brute force were the answers to their problems. All
became corrupt and morally bankrupt. All committed atrocities to millions of humans. All
factionalized into groups of "us versus them" and those that were in power
committed horrible acts to those that were not.
We are blind to history if we do not think it can happen to us in the United States.
We are blind to science if we fail to recognize past patterns and see that we might be
falling into the same tracks. We are blind and deluded to think that we are necessarily
better than all of those other nations.
As our government legitimizes the use of violence and harsh penalties, the cycle of
violence will increase and spread elsewhere. Parents will come to believe
"spankings" are good for children, and others will come to believe that harsher
punishments and beatings are justified. School officials will impose harsher punishments
on children. Older children who feel younger children should respect them will invoke
their own physical punishments for any acts of disrespect. Gang members will only feel
more justified in killing rival gang members.
The 3-Strikes law may have some short-term consequences that may appear to be good,
but don't be fooled. The 3-Strikes law is cruel and causing an injustice to many people.
In the long-run, violence and harsh punishments never prevail. In the long-run, all
governments that are built on violence have fallen. We need to learn this lesson now
before it is too late.
The following are some statistics and comments from books and articles on how the
3-Strikes law legitimizes the use of violence. PLEASE SEND US NEW DATA AND ARTICLES IF YOU
HAVE THEM.
Reports of Child Abuse, Neglect Up 6% in Orange County
Reports of child abuse and neglect in the county increased 6% last year, but experts
said they are more concerned with the growing seriousness of crimes against children.
"I would say it's been a slow increase in severity," said Kathy McCarrell,
director of the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center in Costa Mesa.
The increase, however, may be only due to more reports being made. However, those who
work with the victims agreed they are seeing more horrifying crimes against children. LATimes, 2/5/98.
Arrests for willful cruelty to a child in Orange County leaped 121% between 1990 and
1996--more than double the rate of any major California county and 30 times higher than
the statewide rate. Nice record for such a "law and order" place like
Orange County.. LATimes, 5/21/98.
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Date last modified: 5/24/98.
