Epoch Times - 3 Strikes Law: What is It? Why California Tried to Repeal? | Michael Reynolds
Aired: 2022-07-14
Duration: 01:45


=== Second Chances and Costs (01:45) ===

[00:00:00]  With the reforms in the criminal justice system, there was a movement to bring a ballot initiative to remove the Three Strikes Law this year in California.
[00:00:08]  However, the initiative did not collect enough signatures and will not be on the ballot this November.
[00:00:15]  Is California's Three Strikes Law too harsh?
[00:00:18]  Or is it necessary to have strict punishments for people who repeatedly commit violent crimes?
[00:00:24]  In other words, you're going to reduce the crime rate far more by focusing on the people who are most likely to continue committing crimes.
[00:00:31]  How do you know somebody is most likely to continue committing crimes?
[00:00:34]  Because they've got a criminal history, a lengthy one.
[00:00:37]  Also, in California, it cost us about $106,000 per year to house one inmate in prison.
[00:00:45]  When compared to college costs, this is more than double.
[00:00:48]  But is there a higher cost to society by letting the criminals commit more crimes?
[00:00:53]  For every armed robbery, there is a cost.
[00:00:57]  For every homicide, there is a cost.
[00:00:59]  In terms of lost productivity, lost tax revenue, lost earnings of income over the course of a person's life, the cost of crime is much, much greater than the cost of incarceration.
[00:01:11]  It isn't even close.
[00:01:12]  It's a hundredfold.
[00:01:13]  To understand the Three Strikes Law, I sat down with Michael Reynolds.
[00:01:17]  Michael is a private attorney.
[00:01:19]  The murder of his sister prompted him and his father to draft the Three Strikes Law.
[00:01:24]  Michael will discuss with us how the Three Strikes Law works and the consequences of giving a second chance to the wrong person.
[00:01:32]  When you misplace your sympathy and say, oh yes, we want to give somebody a second chance, well that's fine, but at whose expense?
[00:01:39]  You're not going to say that if you know what the percentage chance is of you being that person's next murder victim.
[00:01:44]  I'm Siamai Koremi.