Spring 2003

Three Strikes and You're Out!

by Phyllis Raybin Emert

The rule of three strikes and you’re out not only applies in baseball; it also refers to tough laws that target repeat offenders. But do three-strikes laws promote well-deserved prison sentences or cruel and unusual punishment?

Three Strikes in New Jersey

The state of New Jersey enacted a three-strikes law in June 1995, which was officially called the Persistent Offenders Accountability Act. This law was written to apply only to violent criminals and provided that anyone convicted of a third violent crime must be imprisoned for life. Inmates can be released if they are over 70-years-old and have served 35 years of their sentence.

Pending Law Limits Youth Access to Violent Video Games

by Barbara Sheehan

Gaining access to mature- and adult-rated video games could become tougher for New Jersey youths if proposed legislation is signed into law.

How are video games rated?

Under New Jersey's pending legislation, video games sold or rented in New Jersey would be required to display an official rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), a self-regulating board established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) to apply and enforce industry ratings.

Cops and Robbers Isn't Just a Game Anymore

by Cheryl Baisden

You might think playing cops and robbers is just a kids' game, but if you point your finger at a classmate and yell "bang" at school, you could be suspended, or even expelled. Four New Jersey kindergarteners found that out the hard way, when they were suspended for three days for pretending their fingers were guns and running around the playground shooting each other.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game-But Don't Steal the Ball

by Roberta K. Glassner, Esq.

Imagine catching a record-breaking homerun baseball. For a baseball fan, it's a dream come true. Then imagine your dream turned into a nightmare when the fans next to you pounce on you, kick you and knock the ball out of your glove, giving someone else the opportunity to grab the loose ball.

Glossary

All of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation's programs and publications are made
possible by funding from the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey.

New Jersey State Bar Foundation
New Jersey Law Center
One Constitution Square
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 249-5000 Telephone
(732) 828-0034 Fax