three-strikes law
Mandatory sentencing rule
A three-strikes law mandates harsh sentences—often life imprisonment—for offenders convicted of a third serious crime.
The term comes from baseball, where three strikes mean you're out.
These laws gained popularity in the United States in the 1990s: He's facing life under the three-strikes law.
Critics argue they lead to disproportionate punishment for minor offenses.
Legally required punishment terms
- habitual offenderPersistent lawbreaker
- criminal justiceState apparatus for prosecuting offenders
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- statuteEnacted written rule
felony · conviction · prosecution · law enforcement · repeat offender · judicial discretion · corrections · crime bill
Imprisonment without release
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- prison termLength of incarceration
- mandatory minimumLegally required lowest sentence
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
severity · retribution · incarceration · penitentiary · lockup · correctional facility · consecutive sentences · proportionality
Person repeatedly convicted
- habitual criminalPersistent repeat offender
- reoffendingCommitting crimes again
- recidivistHabitual criminal returner
- prior convictionsPrevious findings of guilt
chronic offender · criminal history · career criminal · prior record
Stopping offenses before occurrence
- public safetyCollective welfare from threats
- dissuasionConvincing someone not to
- crime rateFrequency of offenses
- incapacitationState of being disabled
criminal behavior · risk assessment · legal consequences · crime reduction · community safety
Excessive imprisonment at scale
- racial disparityUnequal treatment across ethnicities
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- overcriminalizationExcessive use of penal law
- sentencing reformAltering criminal punishment guidelines
Eighth Amendment · cruel and unusual · judicial discretion · activism · ACLU · nonviolent offenders · reform movement · human rights
mandatory sentencing
Legally required punishment terms
- habitual offenderPersistent lawbreaker
- criminal justiceState apparatus for prosecuting offenders
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
statute · felony · conviction · prosecution · law enforcement · repeat offender · judicial discretion · corrections · crime bill · state law
life sentence
Imprisonment without release
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- prison termLength of incarceration
- mandatory minimumLegally required lowest sentence
penalty · severity · retribution · incarceration · penitentiary · lockup · correctional facility · consecutive sentences · proportionality · prison population
repeat offender
Person repeatedly convicted
- habitual criminalPersistent repeat offender
- reoffendingCommitting crimes again
- recidivistHabitual criminal returner
prior convictions · chronic offender · criminal history · career criminal · prior record
crime prevention
Stopping offenses before occurrence
- public safetyCollective welfare from threats
- dissuasionConvincing someone not to
- crime rateFrequency of offenses
incapacitation · criminal behavior · risk assessment · legal consequences · crime reduction · community safety
mass incarceration
Excessive imprisonment at scale
- racial disparityUnequal treatment across ethnicities
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- overcriminalizationExcessive use of penal law
sentencing reform · Eighth Amendment · cruel and unusual · judicial discretion · activism · ACLU · nonviolent offenders · reform movement · human rights
three-strikes lawrestorative justice
Conflict resolution through mutual healing
rehabilitation · reentry programs · drug courts · mental health courts · probation
three-strikes lawdecarceration
Reducing imprisonment rates
decriminalization · criminal justice reform · sentencing reform · clemency · amnesty
three, strike, strikes, thrice, thirds, thirdly, struck, striking, striker