Twenty-one states followed suit. Now, five years later in a dramatically different economic climate, crime statistics have plummeted.
Opponents cite a lower jobless rate and myriad other factors.
With California and other state prison populations soaring and court dockets jammed, critics say it's time to limit the laws, while key politicians and prosecutors continue to hail their impact in quelling crime. We are now able to warehouse the truly worst offenders for a very long time. At the same time, critics argue that three-strikes cases are clogging criminal court calendars to the point where they are now forcing delays in civil proceedings. Politicians here are sifting through the evidence for policy implications, while other states' legislators try to learn from the California example. Critics of the state's 'three strikes' law say it is largely to blame.