News

Escaping The Myth Of 'Three Strikes' State Prison Law
Although originally written in 2008, we just "tripped" over this great article by Debra Saunders of the SF Chronicle, "Escaping the Myth of 'Three Strikes". It's especially informative, and we hope influential, considering the Romano Initiative that seeks to greatly weaken 3 Strikes and You're Out. Despite Mr. Romano's claims otherwise, his initiative will not return 3 Strikes to the voters' original intentions, but will redefine what counts as a strike and lead to the resentencing and release of thousands of California's most dangerous inmates. (read article)

Twenty-Nine Years to Life for $20 Worth of Wire and Gloves
Twenty-Five Years to Life for Stealing a Slice of Pizza. Twenty-Five Years to Life for Taking Cookies. Twenty-Five Years to Life for Bad Checks. These are headlines that newspapers have pounded Californians with since the start of 3 Strikes in 1994. For the few that take the time to look into these cases they find, without exception, that all 3 Strikes offenders must have at least 2 prior convictions for serious or violent crimes. They also understand that the value of a stolen item has nothing to do with the level of violence of which a repeat offender is capable. Most people are murdered over the value of little or nothing. If value and time in prison were part of the equation then auto theft would be life without parole. Most offenders with strikes wise up and stop doing crime or leave California. Those who remain active do so at their own peril. They know they have strikes yet they choose to continue their criminality. We, in turn, have the choice, thanks to 3 Strikes to end their criminal career without more victims being part of their therapy. (read article)

Quadriplegic prisoner is first in California to get medical parole hearing
While early release of sick or otherwise incapacitated inmates may seem compassionate or even a good way to reduce costs to the taxpayer it is neither. Other states who have pursued this policy have found these early release inmates quickly perish on the outside when left to fend for themselves. Those who are cared for in prison are cared for at taxpayer's expense through Medicare or Medical. This only draws money from another pocket of the same taxpayer - you and me. You can read about California's recent legislation signed by former governor Schwarzenegger in Sept. 2010 and an example of how a heinous rapist will be given a medical parole hearing because he was incapacitated during a prison brawl thus leaving him a quadriplegic. (read article)

GOVERNOR BROWN'S PRISON REALIGNMENT MUST START WITH FACTS, NOT FANTASY
This is a report (from the May 16, 2011 FlashReport Blog) that is chockfull of hard to find data on prison populations, incarcerations, crime rates and comparisons that go back to 1980. A must read for academic presentations.(read article)

Stanford law students appeal three-strike cases
Paul Elias' AP article on the "Stanford Law School's novel Three Strikes Project" may have been incomplete since most strikers have far more than the requisite 2 serious or violent strikes to qualify for a 25 to life term. As Mike Reynolds comments upon reading the article. "According the California's Legislative Analyst's office, 'the average third striker has 5 felony convictions.' I would suggest a closer look at this offender's rap sheet would reveal a darker side to his criminal history and that is exactly what any court of appeal should do if this case gets that far. So far, thankfully, it hasn't." It's our impression here at 3 Strikes that "jounalists" often minimize a criminal's history in order to gain sympathy. I suspect future stories on 3 strikers will be about those whose strikes are nonviolent. You'll likely never see one about a serious or violent case.(read article)

Man accused of fraud may get life in prison under California's three-strikes law
It's a rare ocassion when 3 Strikes is applied to a white collar crime. This is the first I have ever seen. Read how prosecutors were able to make an exception in this case.(read article)

Crime is down - for the third year in a row
Reported by the Associated Press and all of their "consultants" don't understand why. Sadly, the AP consulted with classroom professors and political sources, all of whom who have no real world experience with crime as it affects you and me, the public. They never considered that since California has more than 10% of the American population and that California's Three Strikes has locked up a considerable number of transient incorrigible repeat offenders, thus Three Strikes has taken a great number of the nation's criminals out of circulation for the benefit of all, but read it for youself and draw your own conclusions. (read article)

Read more news articles at Threestrikes.org