Three Strikes and You’re Out | Retro Report

How did California’s controversial “three strikes and you’re out” law pass and what has its impact been? Crime rates in the United States were on the rise throughout the 1970s and 80s. By the 1990s, Americans began looking for new strategies to lower crime rates. After two high-profile violent crimes, Californians voted to enact a “three strikes and you’re out” law to sentence repeat offenders to 25 years to life after a third conviction. Other states created similar laws. After 10 years, California’s Three Strikes law had not proven effective at lowering the violent crime rate. California’s law also resulted in sentencing repeat offenders for petty crimes and nonviolent drug offenses, causing the prison population to swell. Falling crime, high incarceration rates and high rates of recidivism have encouraged a reexamination of strategies to reduce and prevent crime. Students can help explore these questions with the help of our Three Strikes and You’re Out Concept Application FRQ.