California's Three Strikes Law is one of the most cruel and vicious penal laws in the country.

California's Three Strikes Law (Penal Code Section 1170.12) is one of the most cruel and vicious penal laws in the country. In reality it is a two strike law. A strike is any of a serious of felonies that are enumerated as either a violent or a serious (Penal Code Section 1192.7) felony. Any one with a prior strike conviction is subject to a sentence of the twice the normal prison sentence. Anyone with two prior strike is subject to a sentence of twenty-five years to life. The third conviction does not have to be for a strike. It can be for any felony, ie. a petty theft or a prior conviction for a theft related crime. It could be for stealing a pizza. The third strike could be for personal possession of narcotics.

C. Zadik Shapiro is one of relatively few San Francisco attorneys who has tried Three Strikes cases.