>>>>>Ironic that you seem to think the same of the U.S. of A. :-}
>>>>>
>>>>>Much as I despise Obama, last I checked, the U.S. isn't run by religious fanatics who sentence women to death for adultery
>>>>
>>>>True - but we don't seem to have a problem giving a life sentence to a guy for stealing a candy bar either...
>>>
>>>He only stole a candy bar? Please provide a link. Also please provide a link showing that it was an easy decision.
>>>
>>>Thanks.
>>
>>Well here is a whole book of examples.
>>http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520246683
>>The problem is that 3-strikes law. I don't have time to dig up the candy-bar example I was talking about - but what happened is the guy had two felony convictions from many many years prior - and had 2 misdemeanors prior also. So then while homeless he stole a candy bar and got caught. Well 3rd misdemeanor so they turned that into a felony - which now means 3rd felony so taadaa! If I remember right he ended up with 35 to life. Anyway the book has zillions of such cases explained. There are some youtube videos about this subject too - a couple showing interviews with the mothers of guys caught up in this mess.
>>
>>Update: As far as "easy decision" - that is the problem - there is no "decision" - it's automatic.
>
>As wrong as that is (and I believe it will change due to how it has been implemented), that still only exists for California, right?

Nope - 24 states have it

Arkansas 1995
California 1994
Colorado 1994
Connecticut 1994
Florida 1995
Georgia 1994
Indiana 1994
Kansas 1994
Louisiana 1994
Maryland 1994
Montana 1995
Nevada 1995
New Jersey 1995
New Mexico 1994
North Carolina 1994
North Dakota 1995
Pennsylvania 1995
South Carolina 1995
Tennesee 1994
Utah 1995
Vermont 1995
Virginia 1994
Washington 1993
Wisconsin 1994

Keep in mind this works even if the defendant was a juvenile at the time of any of the 'strikes' and these don't have to violent crimes either.

Kuhn - here are two more sad examples:

* Kevin Weber was sentenced to 26 years to life for the crime of stealing four chocolate chip cookies (previous strikes of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon).

* Gregory Taylor was serving a near life sentence for trying to break into a soup kitchen in 1997. In 2010 he was ordered to be released by Judge Peter Espinoza of California Superior Court.

...the list goes on and ON and ON.