Scott Harris' column, "Calling That Third Strike Against Felons" (Jan. 13), said I had "grave doubts" about "three strikes" laws. What I told him was not all against these measures, which I said would be better than the mandatory long-term penalties on first offenses that have helped to unbalance our state budgets.
I mentioned that statistically, offenders who have had an appreciable period of non-criminal life between crimes are much better risks for release than are those who, from an early age on, have been continuously in crime when not confined. I added that house arrest with electronic monitoring, community service and fines have been more effective than confinement for reducing recidivism rates of lawbreakers with few or no prior offenses.
