Photo: Inmates at the California State Prison in Lancaster on June 10, 2010. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times
California voters may once again have the opportunity to change the state’s three-strikes mandatory-sentencing law.
An initiative to change the law has been cleared to gather petition signatures, a potential step toward the November ballot. The proposed change would reduce the sentences of some currently serving time, and reduce prison time for those who are convicted of nonviolent felonies and already have two prior felony strikes.
In an economic analysis of the measure, the state’s legislative analyst said the initiative, if passed, would save the state money but could increase costs for local governments.
Continue Reading @ LA Times
Prison Reform Movement's Weblog- America: Land of the Free, Home of the Incarcerated 
And what part of this doesn’t Massachusetts get?
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People who have had old records from many years ago,or youth before 3 Strikes Law should not have to live in fear or have hanging over their head for life the threat of the 3 Strike Law or the 2’nd Strikers and also those harsh sentences.
There need to be other forms of sentencing like financial restitution that is reasonable, or volunteer work instead of just throwing a human away to waste away,that is plainly stupid. There needs to be people with wisdom and high intelligence in corrections to set the bar higher than what is already in place the people who misuse power and are cruel.Coldness does not benefit society as a whole,it never will.Humanity needs to be humane and use positive actions to bring about a positive outcome in reform.
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To properly amend 3 Strike Law,the priors before the law was in-acted before it went into law should not be counted!!! That is the way it should start to amend,whether they be labeled violent or not,because those sentences were served and or taken under a plea bargain that was to serve only the amount said at the time,not with a future pending sentence to be served 25 to life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes a crime is labeled violent,but no one was hurt or even touched!Those should not be labeled violent,but they are.That is what will keep many in prison for 25 to life.The 3 Strike Law is far to flawed to limit it to only amending those sentenced to nonviolent.
There are innocent people struck out but yet there were no weapon found or true evidence except for false eye witness testimony.
If one is stuck out there should be solid evidence,not just hear say!
To amend a law so against our Constitution must be done completely right,not half way…it’s too far overdue,doing the right thing right!
D.A.’s have long got away with playing Devil’s advocate and getting away with it! All 3 Strikers need to have their cases for review and to be able to be questioned despite the Violent label.
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