California Voters to Consider Softening Three Strikes Law
California voters will decide whether to soften Proposition 66, the state's "three-strikes" law. A November ballot initiative would relax sentencing for certain offenses, including drunken driving, the Sacramento Bee reported Sept. 8.
Sherry Souza and CeCe Stone are lobbying against the ballot initiative. Souza's son and Stone's daughter were killed in 1999 by drunk driver Richard Keenan. The boy's father, Jerry Keenan, an insurance broker in Sacramento, has spent more than $1.5 million in support of the initiative, which could free his son from jail.
"I probably would have never realized the depth of how bad 'three strikes' was without Richard's involvement," Keenan said. "But I can guarantee you, the money I put into this wasn't about Richard. It was about fairness."
Richard Keenan, 25, is serving eight years in prison after pleading guilty in 2000 to two counts of vehicular manslaughter. Although it was Keenan's first offense, Proposition 66 requires him to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.
The ballot initiative would redefine the proposition so that only serious or violent felonies would merit increased sentences. If the proposal passes, thousands of inmates, including Keenan, would be released early from prison.
The initiative is opposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, and numerous law-enforcement agencies.
Those who support the initiative argue that too many nonviolent offenders are serving life sentences. Among those backing the ballot proposal are Citizens Against Violent Crime, the California Labor Federation, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
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