In 1994, California voters passed the harshest three-strikes law in the country. Soon after, stories began to emerge about people receiving life sentences for petty crimes such as stealing a pair of gloves or a slice of pizza. Such cases challenged the commonly held belief that the law applied only to violent criminals.
Read more in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/opinion/three-strikes-of-injustice.html?src=rechp