Washblog

If it wasn't for the 3 strikes law, my standard range concerning my normal sentence would have been 63 to 84 months. I feel that it's a waste of taxpayers money to have a person like myself locked down for life for a non-heinous crime.

Washington State voters approved the "3 Strikes and you're out law" -- Initiative 593 in November, 1993, hoping that it would help eradicate violent crime by enhancing sentencing for people convicted of a third violent offense. At the top of the measure voters were told that they would be locking away the most violent criminals away forever. But buried in the middle of a long document, there was a list of crimes that included class B felonies like Robbery 2 and Assault 2. Today, the majority of the 3-Strikers have at least one Robbery 2, Attempted Robbery, or Assault in the Second degree. I feel that the 3 Strikes law needs to be taken back to the drawing board and be reconstructed to include only Class A offenses, the way the law was sold to the voters.

The 3-Strikes law calls for reform. We need to analyze what impact it has had on violent crime since 1993.

An issue that really concerns me is that because a life sentence for low-violence crimes is so unjust, prosecutors are choosing who they offer plea bargains to, and who they strike out. But the statute clearly states that if any one, black or white, male or female, be charged with a third felony on the 3-Strikes list, the prosecutors are not supposed to offer plea bargains. And if found guilty in trial, the sentence is a mandatory life without parole.

Because the majority of the 3-strikers have non-heinous low-level offenses such as Robbery 2 with no weapon and assault 2, prosecutors are, increasingly, offering defendants 10-year deals, pleading to a theft 1 from a Robbery 1, kidnapping 1, burglary 1 and assault 1, which are class A serious offenses. Statistically, to society, it appears that the 3 Strikes is working when it's not.

Most of the early 3 Strikers like myself wouldn't have been given 3 strikes if the judges had full discretion. I personally feel that it's wrong, and very unjust, that I wasn't given the opportunity back in 1994 to plead down from a Robbery 2 to a Theft 1, a non-strikeable offense, to avoid a life sentence. In fact, a lot of people are getting hurt by this law, including the taxpayers pockets. This law can possible swindle in your mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend. How would you feel then?

An extraordinary amount of money is being spent on building new prisons and DOC is signing contracts with private developers in other states to warehouse Washington State prisoners away from their families out of state. When the money should be spent on education, better quality health care, job training, jobs, building housing, and drug treatment. Everyone loses except those who profit from crime control.

We need justice. And so the request is for Robbery 2, attempted Robbery, Assault 2, and other low-violence crimes to be removed from the 3 Strikes list as strikeable offenses.

We need numbers of people, from all areas of the state, Eastern and Western, including North and South, to come together and rally at the Washington State Capitol for 'Beyond Prisons Day' to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the 3-Strikes law, and to generate support for its reform. Demonstrators raised questions of the unfairness and fiscal responsibility related to the edict and presented ex-governor Gary Locke and current Governor Christine Gregoire, with a solution to the overcrowding of prisons by releasing non-violent offenders.

We need busloads of people throughout the state of Washington: 100 plus or more members of organizations such as Justice Works!, NAACP, churches, the communities, and 3-Strike family members to come together for the cause. To also help our point, we need a female sponsor to inform husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles, loved ones of 3-Strikers to carry posters displaying their photos, and we also need a public display to help people understand the human cost of this law. For example, a three nine-by-eight wall with 3-Striker photos, citing the reasons for their life sentences.

Any and everyone that participates in the rally, be sure to address inadequate prisoner health care. And one prisoner dies every six months to a year for a lack of appropriate medical attention.

The voters were misled into voting for Class B offenses to be strikes. The majority of offenders struck out for these offenses have been in prison beyond their normal standard range. If it weren't for the 3 Strikes, my standard range would be 63 to 84 months. I'm crying sincerely for your help.

Thank you,

David Conyers.