Sentenced to life for stealing $14

*Sentenced to life for stealing $14: "I needed help, but was given jail."*

This extreme treatment is common in California under the "three strikes" law. *"By design, the law has targeted crimes of poverty, like small-time robbery, burglary, breaking windows, purse snatching".*

Like the War on Drugs, these laws are designed to put a lot of people in prison. At that point, many of them are compelled to do work for private companies at a pittance, and that pushes down wages for Americans who are not in prison.