Eighteen years ago, Californians voted to hold certain criminal offenders to a standard made famous by the Great American Pastime: Three strikes and you're out. However, this formidable and mandatory standard which forced anyone convicted of three felonies to a life in prison resulted in some unbelievably unfair sentences. For example, some non-violent individuals convicted under the three-strikes law had stolen a pair of socks and forged a check valued under $150 for their third strikes.
California "Three Strikes" Law Remains in Need of Reform
Baseball and criminal sentencing are different things, and they should be treated that way. But since 1993, California and 22 other states have adopted so-called "three strikes" laws, under which someone convicted of a third felony faces life in prison.
