David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

benefits of committing a crime in
California much greater than the risks.
The answer, he felt, was to raise the
costs of committing a crime so high that
it was no longer easier to rob and steal
than to work an honest job. And for
those who continued to break the law—
even in the face of those altered odds—
Three Strikes said, Lock them up for the
rest of their lives, so they never have a
chance to commit another crime again.
When it came to law and order,
Reynolds and the voters of California
believed, “more” was always better.
But is it? Here’s where the inverted-U
theorist steps in. Let’s start with the first
assumption—that criminals respond to