NCJ Number
166139
Journal
ABA Journal Volume: 82 Dated: (December 1996) Pages: 26
Date Published
1996
Length
1 page
Annotation
A 1996 survey conducted by the Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy found that the use of the "three-strikes" law in 22 States and at the Federal level is a rare event.
Abstract
The survey collected data from a number of sources, including news accounts, courts, and corrections departments. Several States -- Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee -- have not sentenced anyone under their three-strikes statutes. Other States use them rarely. The exception is California, where some 15,000 people have been sentenced under its law. Reasons for the prosecutorial reluctance laws, which often mandate life in prison for serious, repeat offenders, may range from a desire for fairness to a habit of using other get-tough sentencing measures. Walter Dickey, author of the study and a law professor at the University of Wisconsin, suggests that prosecutors are using other tough sentencing laws and turning to three-strikes statutes as a threat in plea bargaining.