Sentencing “Rules” and “Guidelines” – Have Things Gone Too Far?

Anders Breivik, the Norwegian who meticulously planned and carried out an attack that killed 77 people, has been found sane, and sentenced to 21 years.  See the NY Times article here.

Meanwhile, this past May, Marissa Alexander, a Florida woman, who was in a fight with her abusive husband, fired a warning shot into a wall without injuring anyone, and was sentenced to 20 years.  See GlobalPost article here.

Does anybody else see a problem here?

And then there are the “three strikes” laws.  Under these laws people who have committed three felonies, albeit non-violent and minor, can be sentenced to life in prison.  24 states currently have some form of “three strikes” law.  The intention was to reduce crime from repeat offenders, but no statistically valid causal correlation with reduced crime has been shown.  However, it has been observed that offenders in jeopardy of a “third strike” are more likely to violently attack police.

Something is seriously out of kilter here.