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Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me

Alex Last. And today we go back to the 1990s when the US federal government and

more than 20 states introduced three strikes laws where a third

conviction would trigger a mandatory life sentence. Many of those sentenced to

life under this new law were African American. This is one man's story.

We were sentenced to die in prison for a nonviolent crime.

We are locked up at an alarming rate. The vast

majority of three strikers were African American and people of color.

Kevin, now Belau Chapman, grew up in a happy family in California in the 1970s and 80s.

Well I've lived a really good life, you know, lived in a pretty good neighborhood.

It was amazing childhood.

He went to a good school, played a lot of sports. My mother took care of all of us by herself,

so she was amazing. Right out of high school started working, working in construction,

logistics, and then there was a really downturn in the 80s, and really I started just using

recreationally with friends, just using drugs, drinking, partying like that.

And then I began to use it even more heavily

...