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The Full-Court Press
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
The David and Goliath quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Three Strikes Law. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen
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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.
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Chapter 9: André Trocmé
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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.
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The Three Strikes Law Symbol Timeline in David and Goliath
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Three Strikes Law appears in David and Goliath. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen
The conversation Mike Reynolds stages leads to the Three Strikes Law , which dictates that serious second-time offenders must serve double the amount of time in...
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When Reynolds helps to institute the Three Strikes Law , he operates on the assumption that more severe forms of punishment will deter criminals...
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One of Reynolds’s arguments for the Three Strikes Law is that putting criminals in prison and keeping them for at least 25 years removes...
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...to prison, the effect on crime starts to reverse.” Although Mike Reynolds believes that the Three Strikes Law ended up saving lives by decreasing California’s overall crime rate, the reality is that the...
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