[anigbrowl]

Well, I wouldn't want anyone to draw a conclusion about it from my 8-word summary reference! And certainly, some people just don't get it - here's a case that just hit the news today: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/three-strikes_opponen...

However, it's quite a bit more complex than you suggest here. Someone with two non-serious felony convictions who is then convicted of a serious felony, for example, can also get the full effect. Those servicing a second sentence can have their time doubled. And not everything that qualifies as a serious felony is the sort of violent crime most people imagine.

You might find these analyses from the Legislative Analyst's Office interesting - accessible non-partisan explanation of the effects and rules in the first one, and an update on how they're affecting state budgets in the second: http://www.lao.ca.gov/2005/3_strikes/3_strikes_102005.htm http://www.lao.ca.gov/analysis_2009/crim_justice/crimjust_an...

[lionhearted]

Interesting, interesting. Thanks for those links, I'll read them through next time I'm on a break.