‘3 Strikes’ Law Saves Money, Study Contends
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SAN FRANCISCO — Every $1 spent to keep California criminals behind bars saves taxpayers as much as $2.80, according to a conservative think tank.
A study released this week by the Pacific Research Institute of Public Policy claimed that California does not incarcerate enough criminals and doesn’t keep them behind bars long enough.
The study suggests that ‘three strikes’ and similar measures that impose longer sentences will yield substantial savings, say the authors, Steven Hayward and Lance T. Izumi.
Estimating that the state spends $5 billion to implement the tough “three strikes” law, “Californians can look forward to savings of $10 billion to $14 billion [a year], simply from incapacitating criminals,” the study said.
Critics have said the law, designed to incarcerate repeat offenders, is also being used against those who commit minor crimes.
But the study’s authors contend that “ ‘three strikes’ is netting exactly the kind of repeat offenders for which it was intended.”
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