Up until 1977, California law heavily favored the idea of indeterminate sentences and stated or implied that the amount of time someone convicted of a crime should be kept in prison would be determined by their personal characteristics, rather than the nature of the crime they committed. New laws were passed, and California updated its approach to sentencing. California Penal Code § 1170 (a)(1) states, “The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of sentencing […]