For immediate release:

Monograph Report on California’s
Three-Strikes Law Now Available

Los Angeles, CA – California State University, Los Angeles assistant professor of criminal justice Jennifer Walsh has released a monograph report on California’s Three-Strikes Law entitled Tough for Whom? How Prosecutors and Judges Use Their Discretion to Promote Justice under the California Three-Strikes Law.

Drawing upon her extensive original research, Dr. Walsh debunks many myths surrounding the law, explaining, for example, that most offenders sentenced under the law committed serious offenses as their third strikes and that the law does not result in lengthy sentences for all eligible three-time recidivists.

As Californians head to the polls this November to vote on major revisions to the California “three-strikes” law (Proposition 66), Dr. Walsh’s research will help to ensure that the debate is informed by an accurate understanding of how the law actually functions.

Dr. Walsh has examined California’s Three-Strikes Law extensively, especially the impact of prosecutorial and judicial discretion on its implementation. Some of her findings are posted on the official “three strikes” Web page www.threestrikes.org/. The California District Attorneys Association has also posted Walsh’s research on its Web site www.cdaa.org. She is an expert reviewer for the NSF Law and Social Sciences Program, and has presented research on California’s Three-Strikes Law at national conferences for both the American Political Science Association and the American Society of Criminology. On Monday, September 27, she will testify as an academic expert before the California Senate Public Safety Committee.

Walsh’s research was sponsored by the Crime and Justice Policy Program of The Henry Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World at Claremont McKenna College. Those interested in obtaining a hard copy of the report may contact The Salvatori Center directly at (909) 621-8201. Electronic copies may be obtained by contacting Professor Walsh at jwalsh2@calstatela.edu.

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WORKING FOR CALIFORNIA – California State University, Los Angeles: A comprehensive university at the heart of a major metropolitan city. The 175-acre hilltop campus is located five miles east of Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. Since 1947, Cal State L.A. has been a leader in providing quality higher education. Today, the campus comprises a faculty of internationally recognized scholars and artists, and more than 20,000 students with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds that reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Cal State L.A. is one of 23 campuses in the CSU system.

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