Offhand, I am not aware of any UN body having taken the U.S. to task on this.
What the three strikes legislation has done is aggravated an even worse problem
of prison crowding in the United States.  There are now more U.S. recidivist
admissions each year than there was a total U.S. prison population 20 years
ago.  While a lot of police officials or politicians have wanted to take credit
for the declining "official" crime rates (where were they when crime rates were
increasing?), nobody really has a good explanation for it.  One factor that is
often overlooked in such discussions  is that even while "official" police
reported crime rates were still increasing, the levels of self reported
victimization by crime in the National Crime Surveys were decreasing.

Crime rates are down in "soft" jurisdictions and in "hard" jurisdictions, in
areas with a community based police orientation and in those without such, etc.
Certainly the aging of the population has something to do with it.  Fluctuations
in the incidence of specific types of illicit drug use, such as crack, also has
certainly been a factor.  The (relative) prosperity may have  something to do
with it since at least McJobs are more available for marginal potential
employees. The fact that more than 2 million (predominantly young male) people
are in prisons also reduces the number of potential criminals on the streets.  I
don't think that anybody can attribute any specific reduction to any one
particular policy.  Crime rates have also decreased dramatically in areas
without zero tolerance legislation, as far afield as Amsterdam (for example).
The fact that the decrease is so broad based, across the U.S., across Canada,
and in many European countries suggests to me that a much broader explanation is
called for.  Personally, I believe that a movement away from what I saw as the
nihilism and gratuitous violence so characteristic of the 1980s media has a
great deal to do with it.  Such an influence would also explain why the
reduction is so broad based across cultures, different jurisdictions with
different policies (zero, three strikes, or whatever), and so forth.  Dan

Siviour Craig wrote:

> Thanks Dan, Looks promising. Has any organ of the UN applied this article
> against
> the US in regard to its three strikes/mandatory sentencing/zero tolerance
> legislation.
>
> Also, the NYC zero tolerance legislation has resulted in less crime in NYC.
> True or false? Any references appreciated!
>
> Craig.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Koenig [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 23 March 2000 16:22
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CHOMSKY] Three Strikes/Mandatory Sentencing
>
> Hi Craig:  Article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of
> all
> Forms of Racial Discrimination (adopted and ratified by GA resolution 2106 A
> (XX) on December 21, 1965 states . . . . "racial discrimination shall mean
> any
> distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour,
> descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of
> nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal
> footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
> economic,
> social, cultural or any other field of public life."
>
> Dan (aka "Poeple")
>
> Siviour Craig wrote:
>
> > Hi People -
> >
> > I'm looking for any UN/UNICEF/Committee For The Elimination Of Racial
> > Discrimination/UNs Human Rights Commissioner statements condemning
> mandatory
> > sentencing ("three strikes and you're out" or similar) legislation
> > in the USA.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Craig