Melvin Farmer on Getting 25 Years to Life After Receiving 2 Retroactive Strikes (Part 11)

Part 12:    • Melvin Farmer on How He Got His 25-to...  
Part 10:    • Melvin Farmer: I've Never Shot Anyone...  
Part 1:    • Melvin Farmer on How Tookie Williams ...  
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In this clip, Melvin Farmer talked about the notorious "3 Strikes" rule in California and how the 1994 ruling retroactively allowed the state to charge him and send him to prison for 25+ years. Melvin explained how the 3-Strikes rule buttressed the prison-industrial complex by serving as a model for other stringent state laws across the country.

Melvin said that while people like JAY-Z are trumpeting criminal justice reform, doing it on a federal level doesn't get at the heart of the issue. The state laws are what's sending most Black and Brown men to prison, according to Melvin, and that's where the social justice work should be focused, otherwise it's just PR.

Purchase Melvin's book "The New Slave Ship: A Ship That Does Not Sail" here: https://amzn.to/2ZsB5Mp