The Three Strikes Law that Mike Reynolds convinces the state of California to adopt in the aftermath of his daughter Kimber’s murder is a representation of how deeply people invest themselves in the value of power and authority. According to the law, third-time offenders must serve 25 years to life in prison regardless of how petty their final crime might have been. To this day, Reynolds is convinced that the law positively impacted society, believing that it was solely responsible for California’s decreasing crime rates. Gladwell, on the other hand, isn’t so sure, since many criminologists believe that Three Strikes not only overcrowded prisons for no good reason but also possibly had an overall negative impact on crime. For these reasons, California has significantly revised the law, but Reynolds still wholeheartedly believes in it. In turn, his dedication to the idea serves as a reminder that some people conflate power and authority with success. His steadfast conviction also suggests that people frequently cling to certain beliefs even if they don’t align with reality.
The Three Strikes Law Quotes in David and Goliath
Is Wilma Derksen more—or less—of a hero than Mike Reynolds? It is tempting to ask that question. But it is not right: Each acted out of the best of intentions and chose a deeply courageous path.
The difference between the two was that they felt differently about what could be accomplished through the use of power. The Derksens fought every instinct they had as parents to strike back because they were unsure of what that could accomplish. They were not convinced of the power of giants.
But had the police asked him if he was Beguet, he had already decided to tell the truth: ‘I am not Monsieur Beguet. I am Pastor Andre Trocmé.” He didn’t care. If you are Goliath, how on earth do you defeat someone who thinks like that? You could kill him, of course. But that is simply a variant of the same approach that backfired so spectacularly for the British in Northern Ireland and for the Three Strikes campaign in California. The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems, and force without legitimacy leads to defiance, not submission. You could kill Andre Trocmé. But in all likelihood, all that would mean is that another Andre Trocmé would rise in his place.
The Three Strikes Law Symbol Timeline in David and Goliath
