Cruel and Unusual Punishment is a fundamental right given to us by the United States U.S. Constitution. The 8th amendment states, "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." Last year in California voters approved a controversial ballot initiative. Proposition 184, also known as the three strikes and you"re out law, was passed on November 9, 1994. Under this new legislation repeat offenders, upon committing their third felony offense, will be sentenced to a mandatory twenty-five years to life in prison California p. 667. California law states that 2 A If a...
property crimes should receive a life sentence. What these statistics are telling us, is basically the California citizens don't really know what they voted for. They voted for a law that sounded good and now many citizens believe they didn't make the right choice. Nobody ever thought that 25 years to life in prison was cruel and unusual punishment for shoplifting. Nobody ever thought that these convictions would serve small felonies or petty offenses. The point of this law was to punish serious crimes not petty ones. Now many people regret implementing this law and must suffer the consequences.