The Three Strikes Law

Nearly twenty-five states have enacted a "Three Strikes Law which requires that persons who have been previously convicted of two violent or serious crimes and who are subsequently convicted of a third such crime be convicted as habitual criminals and serve lengthy prison sentences. Some critics of these laws worry, however, that in cases where the first two crimes were serious, the third crime could be relatively trivial (such as shoplifting) and still be counted as a third strike.