FACTS About California's 3-Strikes Law

25
The mandatory minimum sentence in years under the 3-Strikes law for a third strike (2nd strikers receive double their current offense).

42,240
The number of 2nd and 3rd strikers in the California Department of Corrections as of June 30, 2002.

3,629
The approximate number of 3rd strikers who have received at least a 25 years-to-life sentence for nonviolent and non-serious offenses.

23,511 to 162,000
The change in California's prison population from 1980 to 2000 (almost a seven-fold increase).

217
California's prison population percentage as compared to the prison design capacity.

344, 165, 647 and 373
The number of persons who received at least a 25 years-to-life sentence for petty-theft, receiving stolen property, drug possession and weapons possession from the implementation of the law in 1994 through June 30, 2002.

45 and 26
The percentage of African-Americans and Hispanics receiving 3rd strike sentences based on the total number of people receiving 3rd strike sentences.

39
The percentage of California African-American men in their 20s in prisons, on probation or parole.

17 times
The number of African-Americans charged under the 3-Strikes law as opposed to whites in Los Angeles County.

6.1
The billions of dollars Californians spend on their prisons and jails.

26,500
The estimated operating costs in dollars per year to house a 3-striker in a maximum security prison (does not include medical costs which have been estimated to be in excess of $60,000 per year for prisoners over the age of 55).

113,187
The cost in dollars to build a maximum security prison per prison bed (design capacity).

5.4 million, 20.4 million, 78.3 million, 198.7 million, 728 million and 4.8 billion
The annual budgets for the California Department of Corrections for 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985 and 2002.

21 and 1
The number of prisons and colleges/universities built in California since 1984.

1.5 and 2.0
The millions of dollars the prison guard union gave Gov. Pete Wilson's and Gov. Gray Davis' election campaigns

128,000 and 3,000
The estimated number of inmates in prison suffering from substance abuse and the number receiving substantial treatment.

15 times
The amount of crime the Rand Corporation estimates would be reduced if money were spent on treatment programs rather than prisons.

41st
California's rank among the 50 states for the amount of educational funding spent per student.

3 to 4 times
The amount of crime the Rand Corporation estimates would be reduced if money were spent on college graduation incentives for high-risk youth rather than prisons.

84
The percent of judges that were white appointed by Governor Pete Wilson.

85
The percentage of people polled in San Diego who would have preferred the 3rd strike to be for only violent or serious felonies.

41.4
The percentage of California inmates that have hepatitis C (the leading cause of liver failure and liver cancer).

3
The longest prison sentence in years given to those guilty of the $1.64 billion bankruptcy of Orange County.

6
The number of police officers killed directly by people who were trying to escape a possible 3-Strikes sentence.

30 and 21
The percentage decrease in crime rates in San Francisco County and Kern County since implementation of the 3-Strikes law. San Francisco County does not prosecute non-violent and non-serious offenders under the 3-Strikes law and Kern County prosecutes all possible 3-Strikers vigorously.