California Voters Support Reformed 'Three Strikes' Law

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A nonpartisan poll finds that voters in California overwhelmingly support a November ballot initiative that would limit long mandatory sentences to serious crimes, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported June 10.

According to the Field Poll survey, 76 percent of voters support easing sanctions under the current "three-strikes" sentencing law, while 14 percent oppose changes to the law.

Currently, the law requires sentences to be doubled for minor crimes if the defendant has one previous serious or violent felony conviction. The ballot initiative would limit the stricter sentence of 25 years to life to cases where the third felony is a serious or violent crime.

The poll found that 80 percent of Democratic voters in the state approve of the measure, and 74 percent of Republicans back it, too.