Three Strikes Expert

For immediate release:

Cal State L.A. Faculty Expert Available to
Speak on California's Three Strikes Law

Los Angeles, CA -- This Sunday, March 7, marks the tenth anniversary of the California’s Three Strikes Law. California State University, Los Angeles has a faculty expert who can address concerns about the three strikes law, as well as issues surrounding the proposed amendment making the law apply only to violent crimes.

Jennifer Walsh, assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics at Cal State L.A., has extensively examined California’s Three Strikes Law, especially the impact of prosecutorial and judicial discretion on its implementation. Some of her findings are posted on the official three strikes Web page www.threestrikes.org/, and summaries of her findings have been requested by the California Attorney General’s office, the former California Secretary of State, and the CBS news program 60 Minutes. She is an expert reviewer for the NSF Law and Social Sciences Program, and has presented research on California’s Three Strikes Law at national conferences for both the American Political Science Association and the American Society of Criminology.

Dr. Walsh has recently completed a study, entitled “Tough for Whom? How Prosecutors and Judges Use Their Discretion to Promote Justice Under the California Three-Strikes Law.” In this study, she evaluated the impact of the three strikes law, finding that prosecutors and judges use their discretion to remove strike offenders who do not fall within the “spirit” of the law. This has resulted in fewer three-strike offenders being sentenced to prison and more being sentenced for serious or violent offenses. The study will be published this spring by the Henry Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College.

If you need a quick directory of experts for other breaking news items, go directly to Guide to the Experts at Cal State L.A., www.calstatela.edu/univ/ppa/media/jourpage.htm. The online media guide includes 360 experts from Cal State L.A. who are available and willing to speak to the media. For assistance, contact the Cal State L.A. Office of Public Affairs at (323) 343-3050.

WORKING FOR CALIFORNIA – California State University, Los Angeles: A comprehensive university at the heart of a major metropolitan city. The 175-acre hilltop campus is located five miles east of Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. Since 1947, Cal State L.A. has been a leader in providing quality higher education. Today, the campus comprises a faculty of internationally recognized scholars and artists, and more than 21,000 students with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds that reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Cal State L.A. is one of 23 campuses in the CSU system.