On July 4, 2007 in Tacoma, WA, a little girl, 12 years old, was abducted from behind her home. Her father heard a scream, saw a white van, and got a partial license plate number. Yesterday, Zina Linnik's body was found, and a person of interest who had been arrested on an immigration violation was the one who directed law enforcement to her body. This illegal immigrant was also an unregistered sex offender living in a town outside of Tacoma.
Why is it that one strike is not enough for murderers, child murderers, rapists, and child rapists and molesters? Why are we, as a society, still tolerating the three strikes law? I think that the rules should be clearly stated, so that EVERYONE is aware of the consequences prior to committing one of these crimes. If you kill someone, you will either go to prison for life, or you will be put to death, depending on the circumstances, and the state you live in. Those should be the only two options available. If you rape someone, you will go to prison for life. That's it. There isn't a chance you will ever get out. There is no parole, no pardons, nothing except a full life behind bars. If you rape or molest a child, you go to prison for life. That's it. If we, as a society, put our feet down, and say, this is it, no more second and third (and fourth, fifth, sixth) chances for these rapists and murderers. We won't have it any more! Because the next time, it could be someone that you love. It might be that Joe Blow was given a second chance and then ten years later, he rapes/murders someone you care about. All because there is some sort of underlying pathology in our country that we should be giving second chances.
I just don't understand it. You know what? Give second chances to those who deserve it. Like, the boyfriend who forgets an anniversary. That deserves a second chance. A murderer? No. A rapist? No. A child molester? No. These people DO NOT deserve second chances to murder and rape again. Because, in the end, that's usually what ends up happening. We are giving these criminals a second chance to do it again, and to possibly get away with it the second time. Does that make any sense to anyone? Because it doesn't make any sense to me. People change, though, right? I am of the opinion that there isn't any changing the pathology of someone who is willing to rape and murder. Eventually, most of these criminals will commit the crime again.
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