Evaluate the impact of three-strikes laws on jails and prisons Essay

Evaluate the impact of three-strikes laws on jails and prisons - Essay Example The provisions enshrined in the three-strike laws have resulted in a considerable increase in the prison populations in the states that have adhered to these laws (Jacobson 217). Not only the prisoners penalized under the three-strike provisions constitute a major chunk of the prison populations, these laws have also assured that even those accused who are guilty of repeatedly engaging in serious crimes of non-violent nature do tend to serve prolonged prison sentences. For instance, in the year 2004 alone, the prisoners serving sentences affiliated to the three-strike laws constituted almost twenty six percent of California’s prison population (Jacobson 217). The three-strike laws also had an impact on the length of time that the prisoners tended to spend in the prisons and jails. Going by the fact that the three-strike laws tend to enhance the prison terms of the repeat offenders, this has resulted in an increase in the average time that the prisoners happened to stay in the prisons (Jacobson 2118). The actual ramifications of the three-strike laws have also led to an increase in the average age of the prison populations. As the prisoners serving sentences as per the three-strike laws happen to stay longer in prisons, this has expanded the average age of the inmates (Redburn & McNamara 217). Thereby, going by the three-strike laws, one could certainly expect older and aging prison populations in the times to come. The other thing is that the racial minorities, especially the African-Americans and the Hispanics tend to constitute the largest groups of prisoners serving sentences under the three-strike laws (Russell-Brown 16). There is no denying the fact that the three-strike laws had serious financial implications for the prisons and jails. With the prisoners serving longer sentences and the consequent increase in the prison populations, the prisons and jails are becoming financially more