Cash or charge?

As the blogosphere gears up for the Blix report to the UN, Howard Bashman soldiers along talking about legal matters. His post on yesterday’s Supreme Court decisions is so good I felt like linking to it. It ought also to be of particular interest to Californians and Alaskans, since two of the cases decided relate to California’s three strikes law and one of them is about the Alaska sex offenders registry.

Remember, folks, if you’ve previously served jail time for theft, then in California the prosecuter can convert petty theft (a theft of under $400 worth of goods) into a felony. This combines elegantly but unfortunately with the three strikes law. You too can earn life in prison for stealing $150 worth of children’s videotapes, if you have prior offenses.