#yesonprop36

When Mike Reynolds’s daughter was murdered, his wedding photography career soon altered to authoring a new proposition.

The Death

Kimber Reynolds was a beautiful blonde 18 year old girl. She worked at Baskin Robins and attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 1992 she was visiting her home in Fresno to be a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding. One night while visiting, she went out to a popular restaurant with a friend. Unfortunately she didn't know that was the most deathly choice she’ll ever make. While getting into her car in front of the restaurant, she was grabbed by a man while another man took her clothes. The man took out a gun and shot her in the ear. He died in the next 24 hours.

The Big Idea

The worst phone call Mr. Reynolds’s could ever imagine was received after her daughter’s death. Soon he found out that her murder was her killer’s third serious felony. He was not going to let his only daughter’s murder get away this time! He decided to come up with a proposition so a criminal can only commit three felonies until he’s in life for prison. The famous Three Strikes Law stated that a person’s second offense would have double the punishment and the third offense would send them to life in prison. In 1994 (the same year as Kimber’s death) the law was passed.

Proposition 36

Even though the Three Strikes Law has been pretty successful, some problems have been occurring. The law was passed so quickly that some things were looked passed. Too many criminals have been sentenced to life for drug or alcohol related issues. The jails have become filled with minor criminals and a lot of money is being wasted on them. So now the three strikes law is being revised so that the third offense needs to be serious or violent.

Mike Reynolds had great intentions for the Three Strikes Law but it just happened too quickly. Now that things have been sorted, it’s time to change. And even with the changes, Mr. Reynolds still gets the justice he deserves.

Proposition 36 says that offenders who are convicted of a third degree felony of any sort will have to go to jail, but they can also complete an application to reduce their life time sentences. Others that are against prop 36 say that criminals who have a third strike or even one to two strikes should go to prison for what they did. Even if offenders are out of prison, chances are they are going back within three years, due to some criminal activities, according to the California Department of Corrections Rehabilitation for Peace officers Research Association of California opposes this law, because they have been in charge of keeping peace for the society and the public. Also officers or police have been through catching criminals and they know more due to the fact that they have over and over again caught most of the same criminals to the same felony or misdemeanor. Offenders that are out of jail will not be supervised by the law and that is unsafe to the public. People in society will not feel like they are safe out in the streets due to the fact that they know somewhere out there is an offender on the streets. And even if they go back in jail offenders can still use proposition 36 again to get out or reduce their jail sentence crime. 

Everyone knows the famous saying, “Three strikes and you’re out!” Except do they know that that is not just used in baseball but in our law system also? The three strikes law literally gives you three strikes until you’re off to prison for the rest of your life. Now proposition 36 had been added to the 2012 ballot to finally give us room for mistakes.

Time for Change

                According to the article “What is the Current Three Strikes Law?” on the page titled FAQs on the website yeson36.org; the three strikes law imposes a life sentence for any felony. After committing two violent or serious crimes the third felony (doesn't matter how small) will send him to jail for the rest of your life. But if he slipped up just once while trying to get rid of his addiction and got caught, does anyone really deserve to spend the rest of their life in jail? The new and improved three strikes law will have a double punishment for a minor third strike instead of life imprisonment. So a life sentencing would only go to the third strikers who committed a serious or violent crime.

Benefits

                Some may say that it’s fair that the third strikers deserve a life sentencing no matter what the crime committed was. However, now our jails are filled with harmful people who our stuck in prison for life for just a minor crime. It’s wasting our money and taking up room for dangerous criminals. With the revisions to the law, people will not only be saving money but also walking on safer streets.

                Even though the three strikes law is already in place, revisions need to be made. Voting yes on proposition 36 will give us the justice we need to be the mistake-making human beings we all are. 

Right now the Three Strikes Law is in effect in the state of California. It states that any criminal who has committed two serious/ violent felonies will be sentenced to life in prison for their third crime, even if the third crime isn't violent. A violent offense includes murder, robbery of a residence in which a deadly or dangerous weapon is used, rape and other sex offenses. Serious offenses include the same offenses defined as violent offenses, but also include other crimes such as burglary of a residence and assault with intent to commit a robbery or rape. After committing two serious or violent crimes, any third felony will send you to jail. That includes any reoccurring drug issue, reckless driving, DUI, stealing, and many more misdemeanors. The problem right now is that many innocent people are in prison for life for the slightest things. They are just taking up room and wasting our money. So now proportion 36 has been added to the ballots! This revision of the three strikes law will state that the third strike MUST be a serious or violent offense. Hopefully this change will keep more innocent people out of jail and give more room for dangerous criminals.