California's Three Strikes Law

In 1994 California overwhelmingly passed Proposition 184, the initiative proposed to the voters had the title of Three Strikes and You’re Out. The law’s passage was triggered by the vicious murder of Polly Klass in 1993. Klass, who was 12 at the time, was snatched from her home, raped and strangled to death by Richard Allan Davis. Davis had a long and violent criminal record. The purpose of the law is to dramatically increase punishment for persons convicted of a felony who have previously been convicted of one or more "serious" or "violent" felonies. However, three strike laws are not effective for preventing crime. They are harsh sentencing guidelines that punish harmless petty criminals and overcrowd our prisons.