Quote:
Originally Posted by Cherry7
Thanks to a brand-new, get-tough-on-crime state law, Wilkerson would soon be sentenced to life in prison for stealing a pair of plain white tube socks worth $2.50.
"No, sir, I was not expecting that one," he says now, laughing darkly. Because Wilkerson had two prior convictions, both dating back to 1981, the shoplifting charge counted as a third strike against him. He was sentenced to 25 years to life, meaning that his first chance for a parole hearing would be in 25 years.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment: The Shame of Three Strikes Laws | Rolling Stone |
What were his first two strikes? (I did a quick search and found that this guy with the socks has twice been previously convicted for aiding and abetting a robbery).
As I stated above you don't go to jail for 25 years for committing three petty crimes. Two of them have to be serious felonies or violent crimes.