Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Pubdate: Sun, 12 Jul 1998

THREE-STRIKES LAW IS BEING MISUSED

I am a registered Republican. I do not want child-molesters, murderers or
rapists walking our streets and that's what the "three-strikes" law was
supposed to be about ["Many studies are propaganda," Commentary, June 28].
Instead, it is being used to send to prison for 25 years to life people who
should be sent to rehabilitation centers where they can get the help they
need to turn their lives around.

Would we really rather give them a bed and meals for 25 years to life?

A better attempt to answer the crime problem would be to spend our finances
on the best doctors, counselors and occupational therapists available for
the best mandatory rehabilitation centers for crimes that are drug or
alcohol related.

A study is now being done on the "three strikes" law. Maybe if we act
intelligently, it will be used the way it was intended by the people

Trudy Dibble, Orange

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Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)