Three Strikes and You're Out: A Review of State Legislation

This Research in Brief discusses "three strikes" laws enacted in Washington and California and their impact, provisions of three-strikes laws newly enacted in 24 States, and a comparison of the 24 new laws to preexisting repeat offender sentencing provisions. Between 1993 and 1995, 24 States and the Federal Government added three-strikes legislation to already existing laws that enhanced sentencing for repeat offenders. The rapid expansion of such laws reflects the perception that existing laws were not sufficiently protective of public safety in their application and/or outcome, that new laws were needed to address exceptional incidents that had occurred, or that the intent of current laws was being frustrated by other factors.