Three Strikes and You’re Out: Revisiting Laws that Lock Up Nonviolent Offenders w/ Michael Romano

Three Strikes and You’re Out: Revisiting Laws that Lock Up Nonviolent Offenders w/ Michael Romano

Author: Stanford Law School April 1, 2021 Duration: 27:19
Imagine serving a life sentence in prison for stealing a floor jack from a tow truck? Many of the clients our guest today, Michael Romano, has represented were drug addicts or homeless when they got caught up in California’s Three Strikes law that forced minimum sentences and locked up thousands of nonviolent offenders for 20, 30 years and more. Romano, the founder of Stanford's Three Strikes and Justice Advocacy Project, has become a leading voice in criminal reform in California and the nation—shining a light on the high cost to both the imprisoned and the taxpayer, who foots the bill. Romano, who was recently appointed to chair the state’s new criminal law and policy reform committee, the California Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code, joins Stanford Legal to talk about the criminal justice crisis in American and efforts in California to release nonviolent offenders through reform of the Three Strikes law and other legal reforms.

Law is woven into the fabric of our daily existence, from the headlines we read to the personal decisions we make. Stanford Legal, from Stanford Law School, exists to unravel these complex threads, offering clarity and depth on the legal forces shaping our world. Rather than dry lectures, this podcast features conversations that delve into the real cases, ethical conflicts, and pressing questions at the intersection of law, government, and society. You’ll hear from leading legal minds like Professor Pam Karlan, whose expertise includes the constitutional "law of democracy" governing voting and political processes, alongside other scholars and practitioners. Each episode is built on the idea that understanding the law is crucial to understanding our culture and current events. The discussions are timely and substantive, examining how legal principles translate into tangible effects on communities and individuals. Tuning in provides a nuanced perspective on the news, moving beyond soundbites to explore the underlying statutes, court rulings, and debates. It’s for anyone curious about how legal frameworks influence everything from policy and civil rights to technology and everyday life. This isn't just academic theory; it's about the rules that define our shared reality. The Stanford Legal podcast makes that ongoing conversation accessible and engaging, offering listeners a deeper grasp of the systems that organize and often challenge our society.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Stanford Legal
Podcast Episodes
Best of Stanford Legal: Suing DOGE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:38
Urgent legal questions about privacy protections of the nation’s largest collection of personal data and unprecedented influence of Silicon Valley in Washington
Crime, Justice, and Trump’s DOJ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:39
What happens when long-standing norms begin to erode? Jonathan Wroblewski discusses his decades at the DOJ and the forces shaping federal justice
National Guard or Political Weapon? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
Legal historian and constitutional law scholar Professor Bernadette Meyler cautions that the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard threatens the “presumption of regularity” that underpins the rule of la…
Guns, Money, and Mass Shootings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:38
Stanford Law Researchers Discuss How Lobbying Shapes the Political Battlefield
U.S. Risking its Scientific Research Edge? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:09
Stanford Law’s Lisa Ouellette discusses the rollback of federal support for vital academic research, the challenge of defending U.S. research from political interference, and ensuring drug development meets real-world he…
Redrawing Democracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:10
Stanford's Pamela Karlan and Nathaniel Persily on the redistricting push in Texas, recent signals from the Supreme Court about the Voting Rights Act, and the future of voting and redistricting in America