A public opinion poll to be released today shows a huge margin of public support for a ballot initiative on November's ballot that would soften California's "three-strikes" sentencing law.
The Field Poll finds that 76 percent of voters statewide would vote in favor of a measure requiring that the third and final of all three "strikes" must be a serious, violent felony to make a defendant eligible for the 25-to- life sentences envisioned under the legislation.
As the law stands, only two of the three strikes must be a violent or serious felony for a recidivist offender to be considered eligible for three- strikes sentencing.
According to the poll, only 14 percent of voters are opposed to amending the 1994 law, with 10 percent undecided.
The above is from this article in the San Francisco Chronicle. As usual, Bashman has a thorough roundup of coverage on the story.