If the bill passes, an estimated 19000 people will be imprisoned every year
A Texas lawmaker is proposing a bill that would enhance punishments for repeat offenders by sending them to a state prison to serve a longer sentence.
Also called the “career criminal bill,” House Bill 383 would introduce a five strikes rule on misdemeanors in Texas.
The bill was sponsored by State Rep. Jim Murphy who claims that the bill would give repeat offenders more time behind bars and more access to rehabilitative and educational programs.
“If you need to detox you can’t do that in 30 days. If you need to learn to read, or to weld, or deal with anger management, a six month program is much more effective for doing that,” Murphy is quoted as saying by Big Country.
The Texas Department of Public Safety estimates the bill would send about 19,000 people to state prisons for misdemeanors per year.
The bill has received criticism from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition with its policy analyst Doug Smith saying that the legislation would come as a “huge cost to the state and will actually increase the likelihood of those individuals cycling in and out of the system.”
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What constitutes a misdemeanor in Thailand?
I think it is any injury that doesnt cause extensive harm, threats, negligence etc. as according to my friend who criminal defense attorney in Thailand.