Legislature Passes "Melissa's Bill," the Three-Strikes Bill for Violent Crimes

A bill that toughens sentences for violent repeat-offenders passed the Senate on Thursday (31-7) after it was overwhelmingly passed in the House (139-14) on Wednesday. 

Medfield Representatives James Timilty, Denise Garlick, and Daniel Winslow all supported the legislation.  

Timilty and Winslow co-sponsored "Melissa's Bill" which is named after Melissa Gosule, a 27-year old Jamaica Plain schoolteacher who was raped and murdered in 1999 by a repeat violent offender with 27 previous convictions. 

The movement began after Gosule's death and was brought back into the spotlight in 2010 after . 

The so-called "three-strikes" law eliminates parole for someone convicted three times of one of 40 or so violent crimes, with at least one conviction having carried a minimum three-year prison term.

Representative David Linksy of Natick, another co-sponsor of the bill, told National Public Radio WBUR on Thursday that the "three strikes" law, if passed, would apply to a small number of prisoners currently in the system.  

Linsky also said the "strikes" would not apply to juveniles. 

While cracking down on violent criminals, the bill eases mandatory sentencing on nonviolent drug offenses, in part to take the strain off overcrowded prisons. It also reduces the size of school zones, inside which drug activity carries a larger penalty, since most urban areas fall largely within these zones. 

The bill heads to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk, where he has until July 31 to act on it.