The Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

II. The Three-Strikes Law
In The U.S.
In the United States, habitual offender laws (commonly referred to as three-strikes laws)
were first implemented on March 7, 1994 and are part of the United States Justice
Department's Anti-Violence Strategy. These laws require both a severe
violent felony and two other previous convictions to serve a mandatory life
sentence in prison. The purpose of the laws is to drastically increase the punishment of
those convicted of more than two serious crimes.
Twenty-eight states have some form of a "three-strikes" law. A person accused under
such laws is referred to in a few states (notably Connecticut and Kansas) as a
"persistent offender", while Missouri uses the unique term "prior and persistent
offender". In most jurisdictions, only crimes at the felony level qualify as serious
offenses; however, misdemeanor and/or wobbler offenses can qualify for application of
the three-strikes law in California, whose harsh application has been the subject of
controversy.
The three-strikes law significantly increases the prison sentences of persons convicted
of a felony who have been previously convicted of two or more violent crimes or serious
felonies, and limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other than
a life sentence.
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