three-strikes law

[ three-strahyks ]

noun

1. a law that mandates a life sentence to a felon convicted for the third time.

Word History and Origins

Origin of three-strikes law¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

The case — along with the 1992 murder of 18-year-old Kimber Reynolds, shot by a parolee trying to steal her purse — gave impetus to California’s enduringly controversial “three-strikes” law.

From Los Angeles Times

California’s three-strikes law mandates that individuals convicted of three or more serious or violent felonies receive a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

From Los Angeles Times

This led to a dramatic increase in incarceration rates, in part due to the three-strikes law, which affected minority communities and contributed to the state’s overburdened prison system.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s worth noting that the two major sentencing policies the Crime Bill pushed for—a federal three-strikes law and state truth-in-sentencing laws—were both laws that several states had adopted years earlier.

From Slate

A former federal prosecutor, Schiff campaigned for the state Senate in 1996 on a tough-on-crime platform and told voters he supported the state’s three-strikes law and the death penalty.

From Los Angeles Times