”’Editor’s Note:”’
The Hawaii law enforcement coalition is pushing for the passage of a three violent strikes law so that violent offenders who have three violent felony convictions will be sentenced to life imprisonment, with mandatory jail time of at least 30 years.
This bill, SB 2260 is pending before the Hawaii State Legislature and will be heard at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2006, in Room 227 at the Hawaii State Capitol, by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.
Per ”’Hawaii Reporter’s”’ request, Hawaii’s State Attorney General Mark Bennett provided a list of 10 cases where convicted violent felons were let our of prison only to commit violent felonies once again against innocent citizens — crimes that would not have been committed if Hawaii has stricter sentencing laws.
Mr. Bennett is asking for the public’s support in asking lawmakers to pass the bill. Citizens who want to send written testimony should do the following: Please submit copies of testimony to the committee clerk, Room 227, State Capitol, 24 hours prior to the hearing.
Testimony may also be faxed if less than 5 pages in length, to the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Office at 586-6659 or 1-800-586-6659 (toll free for neighbor islands). Please indicate the testimony is being submitted to Chair Colleen Hanabusa, for the Feb. 7, 2006 hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, for bill SB 2260.
See his letter to ”’Hawaii Reporter”’ here, which documents the 10 cases of violent repeat offenders (in an Adobe Acrobat pdf version):
“Mark Bennett Letter on Three Violent Strikes file”