Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice

“Owltowns criminal justice policy expert, Otto Delupe, has appointed you and your colleague to the local sentencing committee.  The committee is interested in reforming the three-strikes legislation and has asked you to provide a committee with recommendations for a new habitual offenders law.

Your task is to 1.) come up with a new sentencing policy for repeat offenders AND 2.) reform the current 3 strikes policy.

Aspects to consider:

What type of offenders should be targeted? (e.g.., all felonies, serious felonies, etc.)

What type of sentences should be imposed? (e.g., longer sentences for repeat offenders, different types of sentences for repeat offenders, etc.)

What rules should be followed? (e.g., if you use strikes, do past property offenses count as strikes)

What factors should constrain decision-making (e.g., should risk assessment tools be used?)