Purpose of Families to Amend California's
3-Strikes |
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Our major purpose is to amend the 3-Strikes law in California so it is
only applicable to violent felonies. Nearly 75% of 2nd and 50% of 3rd strikes
within California are for non-violent offenses.
In addition, we advocate that the law be amended in the following ways:
(1) the law should not be applicable to crimes committed before its
enactment in 1994;
(2) the law should not count multiple counts during a single act as
multiple strikes;
(3) the law should include a "wash-out" period such that convictions
older than ten years do not count as strikes;
(4) burglary of unoccupied dwellings should not count as "serious or
violent" strikes; and
(5) the law should not be applicable to juvenile offenses.
We plan to continuously grow and stay active until we get the law
amended. We are a state-wide organization that is actively trying to influence
the news media, the public, and politicians so they learn about the problems
with the 3-Strikes law.
We understand the public's fear, anger and perception of crime. Some of
us felt the same way and supported the 3-Strikes law as a way to protect the
innocent from violent criminals. But the facts and experiences, not widely
known except by the families whose lives have been destroyed by the 3-Strikes
law, support our belief that the 3-Strikes law does not serve or benefit the
people of California but rather the growing Prison Industrial Complex.
Prisons are big business and people are the commodity.
Please send questions or comments to factsla@sbcglobal.net.
Everything on this web site can be distributed to the general public,
reprinted, or reposted without permission of Families to Amend California's
3-Strikes.
Date last modified: 12/21/98.
