Pollak Library → Research Guides → Special Topics → THREE STRIKES LAW

Recent Reports                       ▲

• Recent article: "Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations'," New York Times, Late ed., East Coast, April 23, 2008, p. A1. Available full text in database ProQuest Newspapers.
• California: A Primer: Three Strikes - The Impact After More than a Decade (2005) [LAO] | PDF-36 pages
• California: California Proposition 66 | Ballot Returns [November 2004]
• Pros and cons: "Sentencing Debates," CQ Researcher, November 5, 2004
• Recent report: Still Striking Out: Ten Years of California's Three Strikes (2004)
• Recent report: California Three-Strikes Law Imprisons More Than Other States (Sept. 2004)
• Recent report: Three Strikes & You're Out
• Recent report: Racial Divide: California Three Strikes Law (Oct. 2004)
• Recent report: The Meaning of "Life:" Long Prison Sentences in Context (2004) PDF-37 pages
• The Sentencing Project: Fact sheets & research (U.S. organization that opposes harsh prison sentences imposed on criminal offenders and promotes alternative sentencing. Fact sheets and research about three-strikes, sentencing for drug offenses, prison conditions, prosecution of youth offenders and the mentally ill, and rates of conviction for black people.)

Encyclopedias                         ▲

Online: Gale Virtual Reference Library [CSUF only]

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice (2002)
Note: See Sentencing: Mandatory, Vol. 4 pp. 1443-48
REFERENCE HV6017 .E52 2002 v.1-4 CATALOG RECORD

Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment (2002)
Note: See Habitual Felony Laws, Vol. 2 p. 813
REFERENCE  HV6017 .E524 2002 v.1-4 CATALOG RECORD

American Justice (1996)
Note: See Mandatory Sentencing Laws
REFERENCE  KF154 .A44 1996 Vol. 1-3 CATALOG RECORD

Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Criminal Justice (2001)
REFERENCE  HV9950 .B364 2001 CATALOG RECORD

Encyclopedia of Social Issues (1997)
Note: Includes public opinion data
REFERENCE  HN57 .E59 1997 Vol. 1-6 CATALOG RECORD

U.S. Code: 18 U.S.C. Sect. 3559(a) [sentencing classification of offenses]
Online: INTERNET VERSION

West's Encyclopedia of American Law (1998)
REFERENCE  KF154 .W47 1998 Vol. 1-12 CATALOG RECORD

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Books                                       ▲

Following is a list of recent books. To find additional books in Pollak Library, search the Library Catalog by the subjects or keywords listed here:   SUBJECT: mandatory sentences SUBJECT: sentences criminal procedure KEYWORDS:three strikes

• Recent Downsizing prisons: how to reduce crime and end mass incarceration (2005) CATALOG RECORD
• Recent: Still Striking Out: Ten Years of California's Three Strikes (2004)
• Recent: The Meaning of "Life:" Long Prison Sentences in Context (2004) PDF-37 pages
• Recent: Aging Behind Bars: Three Strikes Seven Years Later (2001) PDF-13 pages
• History: History of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws (2000). Note: Scroll down to heading History of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws
• 10 Reasons to Oppose "Three Strikes You're Out" [ACLU]
• America's One Million Nonviolent Prisoners (1999)
• Criminal Sentences: Law Without Order (1973) CATALOG RECORD
• Frequently cited early study: Effectiveness of Correctional Treatment: A Survey of Treatment Evaluation Studies (Lipton, Martinson, & Wilks) (1975) CATALOG RECORD
• In Defense of Three Strikes: Analyzing the Impact of California's 1994 Anti-Crime Measures (1996) CATALOG RECORD
• Key Legislative Issues in Criminal Justice: Mandatory Sentencing (1997) PDF-6 pages | CATALOG RECORD
• Three Strikes and You're Out: A Review of State Legislation [all states] TXT file | PDF-16 pages | CATALOG RECORD & INTERNET LINK
• Three Strikes and You're Out: Vengeance as Public Policy (1996) CATALOG RECORD
• Three Strikes: Five Years Later [California] [Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy] PDF-30 pages
• Three Strikes Legislation and Sentencing Commission Objectives [all states] (1998)
• Why Did the Crime Rate Decrease Through 1999? And Why Might It Decrease or Increase in 2000 and Beyond? [California Attorney General's Office] (2000) PDF-41 pages
  Note: Use Acrobat's FIND feature—binoculars icon—to quickly locate three strikes in this report.
• House Report: To Provide for Increased Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Criminals Possessing Firearms, and for Other Purposes: report together with dissenting views (1997) CATALOG RECORD

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Statistics                           ▲

• California: A Primer: Three Strikes - The Impact After More than a Decade (2005) [LAO] | PDF-36 pages
• Recent statistics: Three Strikes: Statistics
• Recent report: The Meaning of "Life:" Long Prison Sentences in Context (2004) PDF-37 pages
• "Third-Strike Plea Bargains On Rise in O.C.: Crime: Under D.A. Tony Rackauckas, fewer repeat offenders are getting 25-to-life sentences, which mirrors a statewide trend," Los Angeles Times, Friday, February 15, 2002. Orange County Edition, Section B page 1. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• "Three Strikes A Bad Law With No Reforms in Sight" [statistics] [commentary], Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2002, page M2. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• "Court Deals Blow to '3 strikes' law," Orange County Register, Saturday, November 3, 2001. page 1. This article includes statistics on Orange County Three Strikes cases from 1994-2001 and also gives a time line of major rulings.  For full text, search Proquest Newspapers by Article Title.
• Consequences of Mandatory Minimum Prison Terms: A Summary of Recent Findings (United States) (1994) CATALOG RECORD
• Effects of Judges' Sentencing Decisions on Criminal Careers (1999) PDF-11 pages
  Note: Use Acrobat's FIND feature—binoculars icon—to quickly locate three strikes in this report.
• Why Did the Crime Rate Decrease Through 1999? And Why Might It Decrease or Increase in 2000 and Beyond? [California Attorney General's Office] (2000)  PDF-41 pages
  Note: Use Acrobat's FIND feature—binoculars icon size="2" face="verdana">quickly locate three strikes in this report.

California                           ▲

• California: A Primer: Three Strikes - The Impact After More than a Decade (2005) [LAO] | PDF-36 pages
• California: Three Strikes You're Out Notification [Calif Dept. of Corrections] (2006)
• Propositions: California Proposition 66 - Limitations on "Three Strikes" Law | Ballot Returns [November 2004]
• Overview & evaluation: Still Striking Out: Ten Years of California's Three Strikes (2004) [Justice Policy Institute]
• Recent report: Racial Divide: California Three Strikes Law (Oct. 2004)
• Recent report: California Three-Strikes Law Imprisons More Than Other States (Sept. 2004)
• Recent report: Three Strikes & You're Out
• New book: Cruel Justice: Three Strikes and the Politics of Crime in America's Golden State (2004) CATALOG RECORD
• Recent report: The Meaning of "Life:" Long Prison Sentences in Context (2004) PDF-37 pages
• Statistics: "Three-Strikes Law Has Little Effect, Study Says". Los Angeles Times, Friday, March 5, 2004, Part B page 1. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• Overview: Assessment of the Effects of California's Three Strikes Law [Greenwood] (2002) PDF-14 pages
• Overview: Punishment and Democracy: Three Strikes and You're Out in California (2001) CATALOG RECORD
• Statistics: Three Strikes: Latest Statistics [California Dept. of  Corrections]
• Overview: The "Three Strikes and You're Out" Law [California Criminal Law Observer]
• Statistics: "Prosecutors Seek Fewer 3rd Strikes; Since the peak in 1996, D.A.s, including L.A. County's Cooley, have been more selective in pursuing life sentences for three-time felons." Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2003, California section, page 1. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• "Supreme Court to Hear Three-Strikes Challenge" (gives some statistics on California's Three Strikes law), Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2002, Page A-1. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• "Third-Strike Plea Bargains On Rise in O.C.: Crime: Under D.A. Tony Rackauckas, fewer repeat offenders are getting 25-to-life sentences, which mirrors a statewide trend," Los Angeles Times, Friday, February 15, 2002. Orange County Edition, Section B page 1. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• "2 Campaigns Bid to Ease 3 Strikes Corrections: A bill and a voter initiative would exempt petty thieves from the law's longest prison terms." Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, January 16, 2002, page B1. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• Statistics & commentary: "Three Strikes A Bad Law With No Reforms in Sight," Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2002, page M2. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• Statistics—Orange County: "Court Deals Blow to '3 strikes' law," Orange County Register, Saturday, November 3, 2001. page 1. This article includes statistics on Orange County Three Strikes cases from 1994-2001 and also gives a time line of major rulings.  For full text, search Proquest Newspapers  by Article Title.
• California Criminal Law Observer [The Law, Proposition 184, Juvenile Crimes, Serious Felonies, Violent Felonies]
• California bills: Assembly Bill 971 (California 1993-94 Legislative Session)
  Note: This site gives all versions of bill text, legislative history, analyses, and votes.
• California Code: California Penal Code Section 667 [NOTE: Select Penal Code and SEARCH for the term 667]
• California Code: California Penal Code Section 1170.12 [NOTE: Select Penal Code and search for the term 1170.12]
• "3 Strikes Targets Less-Violent, Older Offenders, Study Finds: Justice: The State's Policy Has Had Little Effect on Crime, the Report of a Liberal Think Tank Says," Los Angeles Times, Thursday, August 23, 2001, page B8. For full text, search Los Angeles Times by Article Title.
• In Defense of Three Strikes: Analyzing the Impact of California's 1994 Anti-Crime Measures (1996) CATALOG RECORD
• The Impact of the "Three Strikes and You're Out" Law on California's Justice System [after 2 years] [California Legislative Analyst's Office] (1996)
• State's Three Strikes Law Strikes Out [Berkeleyan] (1999)
• Three Strikes and You're Out! A Promise to Kimber [California] (1996) CATALOG RECORD
• Three Strikes and You're Out: Benefits, and Costs, and Alternatives [Rand] (1994)
• "Three Strikes and You're Out" Law's Impact on State Prisons: An Update [California] (1999)
• Three Strikes and You're Out: A Review of State Legislation (1997) [all states] TXT file | PDF-16 pages | CATALOG RECORD
• Three Strikes Law: Sentencing Enhancement (Criminal Resource Manual 01032)
• Three Strikes, You're Out: Impact California's Criminal Justice System and Options for Ongoing Monitoring (1996) CATALOG RECORD
• Why Did the Crime Rate Decrease Through 1999? And Why Might It Decrease or Increase in 2000 and Beyond? (2000) (California Attorney General's Office) PDF-41 pages
  Note:  Use Acrobat's FIND feature—binoculars icon—to quickly locate three strikes in this report.

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Lockyer v. Andrade (March 5, 2003)
Supreme Court ruling that a decision resulting in two consecutive terms of twenty-five years to life in prison for a "third strike" conviction was not "contrary to, or an unreasonable application of, clearly established federal law."

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Articles                            ▲

Articles of special note:    top
(For help searching Factiva, Proquest Newspapers, or the Los Angeles Times, please ask at the Reference Desk.)

Editorial: "A prison of our own making," Joe Domanick. Los Angeles Times, Home Edition, Dec 10, 2006. pg. M.4.

"Impact of 3-Strikes Law Still Unclear; More than 10 years after the law was enacted, the latest study finds no direct link between the harsher sentencing and crime reduction," Jenifer Warren. Los Angeles Times, Home Edition, Oct 19, 2005. pg. B.3.

"They Changed Their Minds on Three Strikes. Can They Change the Voters'? Ten years ago, these men wanted to see three strikes become the law in California. Now they're leading the fight to reform it." September 19, 2004, Magazine Cover Story.

"Rehabilitate Three-Strikes Law ... but Do It the Right Way: Reserve the penalty for the truly violent, and help others reenter society."  Los Angeles Times , May 2, 2004 , p. M.2.

"Prosecutors Seek Fewer 3rd Strikes; Since the peak in 1996, D.A.s, including L.A. County's Cooley, have been more selective in pursuing life sentences for three-time felons" [statistics]. Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2003, California section, page 1. 

"U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Megan's Laws, Three-Strikes," Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2003.

"U.S. Supreme Court considers challenge to California’s three-strikes," AP Newswire, October 30, 2002. Available full text on Factiva (search: three strikes and california and supreme court IN Headline or Lead Paragraph).

"Third-Strike Plea Bargains On Rise in O.C.: Crime: Under D.A. Tony Rackauckas, fewer repeat offenders are getting 25-to-life sentences, which mirrors a statewide trend," Los Angeles Times, Friday, February 15, 2002. Orange County Edition, Section B page 1. 

"3-Strikes Sentence Is Ruled Cruel," Los Angeles Times, Saturday Home Edition, Part A, Part 1, Page 1, November 3, 2001.

"Court Deals Blow to '3 strikes' law," Orange County Register, Saturday, November 3, 2001. page 1. This article includes statistics on Orange County Three Strikes cases from 1994-2001 and also gives a time line of major rulings. For full text, search Proquest Newspapers by Article Title.

"3 Strikes Targets Less-Violent, Older Offenders, Study Finds," Los Angeles Times, Thursday, August 23, 2001, page B8.

"Three Strikes and You're Out: Investigating False Positives," Federal Probation, v.64 n.1 p.3-6 (June 2000).  DOCS/US  JU 10.8:64 n.1 p.3-6 [available in print only]

"Perspective: Deterrent Effect of Three Strikes Law," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, v.68 n.4 p.6-10 (April 1999) PDF 34 pages
Note: Use Acrobat's FIND feature—binoculars icon—to quickly locate three strikes in this report.

"Lock 'Em Up?" California Journal, v.30 n.2 p.8-16 (February 1999). PERIODICALS JK8701 .C33 v.30 n.2 p.8-16 [available in print only].

"Three Strikes and You're Out: Are Repeat Offender Laws Having Their Anticipated Effects?" Judicature, v.81 n.4 p.144 (Jan/Feb 1998). PERIODICALS  K1 J9 v.81 n.4 p.144 [available in print only].

"Three Strikes and You're Out: The Political Sentencing Game," Federal Probation, March 1995, v.59 n.1  p.3-9. DOCS/US  JU 10.8:59 v.59 n.1  p.3-9 [available in print only].

Updated 04/23/08                                             top

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