How the Three Strikes Law Works

The Three Strikes Law operates on a tiered system:

• First Strike: A conviction for a serious or violent felony results in the normal sentence for that crime.
• Second Strike: If a person with one prior “strike” is convicted of another serious or violent felony, their sentence is automatically doubled.
• Third Strike: A third felony conviction, even for a non-violent crime, can result in a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Reforms to the Law

In 2012, California voters passed Proposition 36, which introduced significant reforms to the Three Strikes Law. The key changes include:

1. Limiting Third Strikes: The third strike now requires a conviction for a serious or violent felony, rather than any felony, to trigger the 25-to-life sentence.
2. Resentencing Opportunities: Offenders serving life sentences for non-serious or non-violent third strikes may petition for resentencing under the new guidelines.

These changes aimed to reduce prison overcrowding and address criticisms of disproportionately harsh penalties for non-violent offenders.

Criticisms and Controversies

Despite reforms, the Three Strikes Law continues to face scrutiny. Critics argue that it disproportionately impacts minority communities and leads to excessively long sentences for relatively minor crimes. Proponents, on the other hand, maintain that it serves as an effective deterrent against repeat offenses and protects public safety.

What to Do If You’re Facing a Strike Offense

If you or someone you know is facing charges under the Three Strikes Law, it’s crucial to seek legal counsel immediately. Understanding the nuances of this law can significantly impact sentencing outcomes. Whether it’s exploring defense strategies or negotiating plea deals, having an experienced attorney on your side is essential.

The post Understanding California’s Three Strikes Law: What You Need to Know first appeared on Bail Bonds Direct.

With that in mind, it’s essential to note the big difference between jail and prison. A jail is local, and a prison usually pertains to a state. Typically people with menial infractions will go to jail, but the prison will have those persons that did really bad things. It’s very crucial to understand why this happened and what you can do, otherwise, there will still be some issues to deal with and that’s what you want to avoid the most here.

There are some other jail release options, such as cash bails and deal bails aside from the bail bondsman. But working with a bail bond company is the best approach that you can use in order to solve such a problem and it will help eliminate many of the challenges that arise. It’s a crucial thing to focus on, and it will deliver some great results as long as you are tackling this situation in a proper manner. It’s not an easy thing to deal with sentencing, but before you go to jail or prison you can still work with a bail bondsman to showcase your innocence in court.

If you are in need of a bail bondsman call 800-880-8380 and we can quickly assist you.

The post What’s The Difference Between Jail and Prison first appeared on Bail Bonds Direct.

You may think you’re doing everything necessary to be an upstanding citizen, but sometimes the law can catch you off guard! They say that “knowing is half the battle” and “knowledge is power.” To that point, it’s a good idea for everyone to be aware of new laws when they take effect, and to even be aware of some old laws you’d never imagine existed to begin with.

A Few Silly California Laws You Probably Never Heard About

The best way to avoid an arrest is to obey the law. But, did you know that in Carmel, you’d better have a reasonable fashion sense? Apparently, it’s illegal to wear a jacket and pants that don’t match if you’re going out in public. Tough question: do they train officers to know what to look for in an outfit mismatch?

Never wear a mismatched jacket and pants in public if you don’t want to be jailed!

Sometimes, people’s judgment may lapse when they’re in a rush. If you’re out in the town in Riverside CA during lunch break, you might want to stay clear of trouble and either eat your lunch in the office lounge or make time for a sit-down meal. It’s against the law to carry your lunch down the street between 11 a.m. And 1 p.m.

If you’re launching your new brick-and-mortar start-up company in Indian Wells, it’s likely you’ll be looking for ways to advertise on a shoestring budget. Whatever you do, be careful to obey the law; don’t try to lure in customers by playing the trumpet! That’s right; it’s against the law.

Who knows whether these are in full enforcement, and whether it will ever become a priority to remove antiquated laws that may have had their purpose at some time. But, what about new laws that come into effect? In some cases, ignorance may not be bliss.

A Few New California Laws To Be Aware Of

Perhaps one of the most relevant new laws to be aware of deals with the proper use of wireless phones. You can only use your smart phone/cell phone if it is mounted. But, what makes this a particularly tricky law to enforce properly is the restriction that the phone can only be operated, or touched, in order to activate or deactivate a feature. It’s not clear how an officer decides why you’re swiping left or right, and how they will be certain you weren’t completing a sentence for texting at a red light, but if you want to avoid confrontation, sometimes taking care of the smaller details prevents running into bigger trouble as a result.

Another new California law may appear less restrictive at first glance, but it certainly merits using common sense. Hair Salons and Barber Shops are now allowed to serve free wine and beer until 10 p.m. This might sound like a great new perk, but make sure you have a plan if you’re going to be drinking. It doesn’t take a lot of alcohol to fail a a DUI test, and that is even more true on an empty stomach. Make sure you have other activities planned before you have to drive, or work your schedule around a convenient Uber driver to cater to your needs.

Whether the law is too old to remember or too new to be aware of, we all hope to avoid trouble wherever we can. The more you know, the more you can plan to stay safe and avoid running into trouble with the law. But, if you happen to get caught off guard by one of California’s tricky rules and regulations, make sure to have our contact information at hand. If you need help with your situation, call Bail Bonds DIRECT any time at 800-880-8380.

The post Know Your Rights, Know The Law – Even if They Don’t Make Sense! first appeared on Bail Bonds Direct.

What did she do? Rob a bank? Stab her boyfriend? Hardly. She is still shy and even nice—but she broke the law. It might be that Nancy borrowed two or three Percocet from her roommate without asking, or it could be that a friend hid a pound of weed under the seat of her car. It might be, that she ordered some pretty flowers from the Internet that turned out to be a protected species. That would make her a convicted smuggler. The list is nearly endless; but it was the three Percocet that was actually her downfall. By the way, that bully you hated is president of your bank.

Justice based on jail

One in every 31 Americans is in jail, or one out every child in an overcrowded 1^st grade class. How does that stack up to the rest of the world? According to The Economist Magazine “Never in the civilized world have so many been locked up for so little.” The US has more citizens in their prison system than the rest of the world combined, making it the largest prison state on earth. That’s quite an interesting perspective on “the land of the free” based on US prison statistics.

Nearly 50% of the American prison population is incarcerated on drug charges. The three Percocet that Nancy, above, took from her roommate bought her three years in the big house in Massachusetts. And, the sentences are no longer discretionary to the judge. Many convictions, no matter what the extenuating circumstances might be, carry mandatory lengthy prison sentences. This takes the authority from the judge and places it directly in the hands of the prosecutor, skewing the entire system.

Off with their heads

The Queen of Hearts had a very simple justice system based on her capricious will. However, true justice isn’t the opposite of this either. Rigid laws and fixed judgements can be equally cruel and unfair. The original intent of judges was so that our system was a balance between the two. Society, on the other hand has swayed towards mandatory sentences for certain crimes.

Many states are even fighting to eliminate bail bond companies while simultaneously designating more crimes unbailable and setting bail amounts for other crimes that are unconstitutionally high. Without a bond system, many people would be unable to get out of jail and wage a viable defense on their own behalf. Additionally, pretrial services are government run and regulated with a suspicious leaning to the prosecution.

The problem with the system is that Nancy is still a nice girl, who was in pain one day and feloniously took a Percocet to alleviate her suffering. Her action carried a mandatory three-year sentence. The judge was not happy pronouncing the unfair sentence and even verbalized it to the court. Our prison system isn’t overcrowded because of bad people, it is overcrowded because of bad law.

The post Remember your 1st grade class photo? Some one in that picture is in jail. first appeared on Bail Bonds Direct.