Every time I read a sad story like the Nov. 29 article about the 59-year-old-grandmother in Vancouver who was stabbed to death at her door by a man with a history of violence, I always think about our three strikes law. We do need to be protected from violence. But I wonder how many people realize that we are paying $26,000 per year to house people in prison for life for only grabbing a wallet on three different occasions. We’re spending $1 million in tax money per purse snatcher to lock them up forever. This crime is considered second-degree robbery. It does not involve the use of a weapon and there are no injuries. Still, it is a “strikeable” offense.
We have people with three such offenses who have the exact same sentence as the Green River killer. What does this say about society?
Lea Zengage
Lake Stevens
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