New Effort to Diminish Calif. Three Strikes Law

FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — The California Secretary of State’s office has given the green light for supporters of a ballot initiative to diminish the Three Strikes law to begin gathering signatures.

The law currently requires sentences of 25 years to life for those convicted of 3 violent felonies.

The initiative would drop the expanded penalty for convictions that predated the 1994 law, and some crimes, such as burglary of an unoccupied building, and making criminal threats, would no longer be serious felonies.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that the change would save the state several hundred million dollars a year.

However, that cost would shifted to counties, as offenders would go to jail, instead of prison.