Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: Three stike law for california

In most states this statute would be known as the Career or Habitual Criminal Statute.

One the first conviction for a felony the person serves 50% of the sentenced time as they earn good time work time. On the second felony conviction they serve 80% (maybe 70%) of the time they are sentenced to with good time work time. On the third conviction (the crime may have been sentenced as a misdemeanor in almost every other instance) the person is sentenced to something like 25 years to life in prison.

Sure does clean up the courts' habitual offenders misdemeanor calendar. They are all in prison for life for these small inconsequential crimes. And this permits the prison guard union to grow stronger and more powerful as the prisons are filled to capacity, and new prisons are built.

With the cost of keeping someone in prison for life, which is about $50,000.00 per year for stealing a slice of pizza or pointing to someone selling cocain, it's doubtful that the voters in California knew the affect of the 3 Strike Law.