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Striking Out: The Failure of California's "Three Strikes and You're Out" Law
Publication year:
1999
| Cataloged on:
Oct. 31, 2006
ANNOTATION: The three-strikes law intends to reduce violent crime by incarcerating repeat violent offenders for life. "Under the deterrence and selected incapacitation theory, populations and geographical areas most impacted by three strike laws should show the greatest crime rate declines (p.3)." Unfortunately, this is not the case. The only population to show an increase in crime rates during the implementation of this law was the over 30 age group which is the exact opposite effect than was predicted. Those counties that invoked "Three Strikes" at higher rates did not experience any difference in crime rates than more lenient counties.