Currently, felonies defined as violent include murder, robbery of a residence in which a deadly or dangerous weapon is used, and rape and other sex offenses. Felonies defined as serious include the same offenses defined as violent felonies, but also include other offenses such as the burglary of a residence. Other felonies, such as drug possession or petty theft with a prior theft, are classified as neither violent nor serious. Upon their release from prison, nearly all offenders are required to serve a period of time under the supervision of state parole agents. The time period required for parole depends upon several factors, including the offense that led to the incarceration of the offender and their behavior while on parole.
Most offenders are ordinarily subject to a three-year period of parole supervision.
Three Strikes Law. In 1994, a statute approved by the Legislature and an initiative approved by the voters both separately enacted nearly duplicate versions of the so-called Three Strikes and You're Out law. The Three Strikes measure imposed longer prison sentences upon an offender when it was charged and proven true in court that he or she had prior convictions for crimes classified as either violent or serious. If the offender has two or more previous serious or violent felony convictions on his or her criminal record, the mandatory prison sentence upon conviction for any new felony is at least 25 years to life . Effect of the Three Strikes Law.