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Right now, somebody who committed a violent crime as his first strike, but then later had two non-violent felonies can be put in prison for life for the third felony (to my way of thinking, a murderer should already be in jail for life for the first crime, but that's a different discussion).
The legal effect of the initiative would be to keep lots of these petty theft homeless folks and senior citizens (who have already paid their debt to society for a prior violent felony committed in many cases 10, 20, 30 years ago) from being punished with life imprisonment for stealing 6 children's videotapes (real case, US Supreme COurt said this was not cruel and unusual punishment).
Three Strikes would still be in full effect for those whose third strike is a violent felony.
So it is not about letting rapists and murderers out of prison. Those convicted of rape and murder will serve their entire sentence (or as much of it as they serve under current law given parole procedures) regardless of the "strike" they are on.
Ah-nald is steering us wrong.
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