California's three strikes law is an effective tool in cleaning our streets of criminals and deterring future crime. The law requires that if an offender is convicted of any felony (second strike) and has a previous "violent or serious felony" (first strike) the court is required to sentence the offender to twice the normal sentence. In addition to this "second strike rule", offenders who commit a third felony (third strike) after already having two previous strikes will receive a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The three strikes law has been a fiercely debated issue due to many publicized cases of criminals receiving stiff sentences (which were mandated by the law) for what three strikes opponents believe were "petty" crimes. .
The three strikes law came about in 1994 in response to a highly publicized murder case in California. In 1994, 12 year-old Polly Klass was murdered by Richard Allen Davis, a parolee and repeat offender. In response to this brutal act, the Legislature adopted the "three-strikes-you're-out law". "It passed with 72 percent voter approval. It requires a judge to impose a 25 years to life sentence for a felony third-strikes offense committed after two serious or violent felonies" (Hughes).
The three strikes law has put a wide variety of criminals behind bars. Cases range from murder and rape to burglary. Opponents of the law will point to cases such as Ronald Herrerra's. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for stealing $12 worth of groceries. The sentence seems harsh when the average citizen puts himself in Herrerra's shoes; however, Herrerra was not the average law-abiding citizen. Supporters of the law would argue that "the three strikes law was created for men like Herrerra, whose other felony convictions include rape, armed robbery and attempted murder" (Cota).
Another person who supports the law is Lisa Delgado. Her husband, Kenneth Delgado was sentenced to 25 years to life for beating and choking her.
