"Three strike and you"re out," law generally prescribe that felons found guilty of a third serious crime to be locked up for 25 years to life. Three-strike law is California law that went into effect in March 1994. Some say that three-strike law is cruel and unusual because people can be put into jail for weird counts as long they have three felonies count. This had cause jail to be more over crowed since the war on drug era. .
The three strike law applied to any person convicted of a serious felony who previously has been convicted of a serious felony in this state or of any offense committed in another jurisdiction which includes all of the elements of any serious felony, shall receive, in addition to the sentence imposed by the court for the present offense, a five year enhancement for each such prior conviction on charges brought and tried separately (California Criminal Law). For example you have committed an arm robbery and was caught, that is one count and you have serve your time for that. Later on you did another offense. This time you did beat someone up with a deadly weapon, that's another count goes toward you. Same as last time, you have done your time and ready to get out. On your last time out you committed another felony but this time it's your third strike, since it's your third strike judge just sentence you 25 to life. Even though your third offense time severs should only like 4 year but since it's your third strike judge give you 25 year. Some argue that this law is unfair and cruel because they get charge for a strike that is not serious and none violent. For example, Mr. Andrade stole videos worth 153.54 dollars from two K-marts and wound up with a sentence of 50 years in prison with no possibility of parole. Usually, state law treats a petty theft (anything under 400 dollar) as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. But Mr. Andrade had been convicted of several prior offenses, all nonviolent.
