60 Minutes devoted an episode to California's Three Strikes law on May 7th. The focus of the show was on Steve Bell who was facing a life sentence for stealing a bicycle from someone's garage in Placer County. Included in the show were comments from two jurors who refused to participate in the proceedings because they believed the sentence to be too harsh and then had to be dismissed and replaced by alternates.

The episode showed how the law is giving life sentences for minor offenses such as stealing batteries or stealing a pair of jeans. While the show was fairly presented, one major issue not revealed in the show is the disparity that the law has on people of color. The fact that Blacks make up 7% of the California population and 44% of the 3-Striker population was not discussed. Click here to hear excerpts from the show.