California’s Three Strikes
California was once famous for its three strikes and your out brand of criminal justice.
How the Three Strikes Law Worked
The three-strikes law went into effect in 1994. The law was originally proposed in direct response to the horrific murders of Polly Klass and Kimber Reynolds. The way the Three Strikes law works is if someone already had a felony conviction on their record when they were found guilty of a second felony, the amount of time they served in prison for the second felony was instantly doubled. If the same felon found themselves in trouble for a felony a third time, they were automatically sentenced to 25 years to a life in prison term. It didn't matter if they were convicted to two (or three) different types of felonies, the extended sentence stuck. The purpose the three-strike law served was to get dangerous felons off the streets for a long stretch of time. The Three Strikes law was written in such a way that:- Multiple sentences can't be run concurrently, they have to be handled as consecutive sentences
- Suspensions and probation isn't allowed
- While a felon is allowed to earn credits that shorten the amount of time they spend in prison, they can only use the credits to reduce the sentence by 1/5.
- Changes to the Three Strikes Law
09 July, 2020
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