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California, with the strictest three-strikes law in the nation, seems more divided than ever on the effectiveness of the law and the application of it. In 1994, voters OK'd the "three strikes and you're out" law overwhelmingly. It requires sentences of 25-years-to-life in prison when a defendant is convicted of a third felony of any kind. A year ago, these same voters OK'd Proposition 36, which allows drug treatment instead of prison for some defendants, thus somewhat superceding the three-strikes law. And many district attorneys in the Golden State routinely eschew harsher sentencing in some circumstances. Now a recent study suggests there is no link between California's falling crime rate and the tough sentencing guidelines, although other studies contradict that conclusion.
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