It’s baseball season, but in Washington when you hear “three strikes and you’re out” it’s usually about getting tough on crime.
But is the principle of “Three Strikes/You’re Out” really that tough? Some experts think it’s too tough on non-violent offenders, but too lenient on violent predators. Why should a murderer, rapist or child molester get a second or third opportunity to destroy another person’s life?
We hear a lot of talk from politicians about getting tough on crime, but consider a few facts:
- The average time served by convicted rapists is only 5 and 1/2 years.
- Convicted murderers average less than 8 years behind bars.
- And each year, murderers and sex offenders that have been released commit more than 14,000 murders, rapes and sexual assaults.
Representative Matt Salmon is taking action to stop violent criminals by providing incentives for states to keep violent offenders in jail. His legislation would require a state to compensate a second state if a murderer or sex offender they release goes on to commit another violent crime in another state.
The principle of “three strikes, you’re out” actually applies to Congressman Salmon. He’s limited his service in Congress to three terms. This has him working a little harder than his careerist colleagues, and on things that really matter.
Representative Salmon’s legislation isn’t as catchy as “three strikes, you’re out” but working to stop violent predators from destroying the lives of innocent people is more important than a media sound bite. And it’s not a game.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.