State v. Thorne

Guy, J. —

Background

Defendant James M. Thorne challenges the constitution*746ality of the Persistent Offender Accountability Act, commonly known as the "three strikes and you’re out” law. We find the law to be constitutional.

In November 1993, the voters of the state of Washington were asked in Initiative 593 to decide the question:

Shall criminals who are convicted of "most serious, offenses” on three occasions be sentenced to life in prison without parole?

Seventy-six percent of the voters of this state answered "yes” to this question.

Initiative 593, titled the "Persistent Offender Accountability…