LOS ANGELES — A two-day symposium called “The Future of California’s Three Strikes Law: Reform, Repeal, or the Status Quo?” was held by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Topics included the history of the law, its impact on prison overcrowding, what the data shows about its effect on public safety, and even why the law should be retained. Speakers included, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, the attorney who argued the unconstitutionality of the law before the U.S. Supreme Court, Erwin Chemerinsky, former San Quentin Warden Jeannie Woodford and Matthew Cate, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
