At 03:59 AM 3/8/96 -0800, Timothy C. May wrote:
California's "Three Strikes and You're Out" sentencing law is having this effect: [...] One guy featured had never committed any violent acts, and his 3rd strike was for lifing a pizza.
This is incorrect: If you read the famous pizza guy's career, you are likely to wind up calling for "Three strikes and hang them from the lampost." Also he did not steal the pizza. He destroyed it in the course of intimidating some kids who were eating pizza. In theory one would expect the law to have this unjust effect, but in practice most of the poster boys that people give as examples of the injustice of this law are folk that one would like to see taken behind a barn and shot out of hand. Perhaps the prosecutors are exercising prosecutorial discretion? --------------------------------------------------------------------- | We have the right to defend ourselves | http://www.jim.com/jamesd/ and our property, because of the kind | of animals that we are. True law | James A. Donald derives from this right, not from the | arbitrary power of the state. | jamesd@echeque.com