Three strikes laws - Research Paper Example

w if usually less than ideal and that people are being sent to prison for life for such things as stealing slices of pizza and cookies under the three strikes law just because of the inflexibility of such laws (Walker, 2006). The legislature of Alabama got hard-hitting on the offenders in 1980 when it passed the Habitual Offender Act which had a mandate that persons found with prior convictions of felony subsequently convicted of another felony gets vital enhanced sentences which can probably include life imprisonment with no parole depending on the weightiness of the crime and the number of the felony convictions there before.

The law of Alabama is actually not a three strikes and one is out like what California, the Congress and 24 other states passed in early 1990 that does not involve any enhancement of sentence until the offender acquires a third conviction actually. On the other hand, the law in Alabama is actually a one strike law which mandates enhanced sentences for any offender with a single felony conviction there before. All these are classified under a habitual offender statute (Sellin, 2007). On average, the three strikes law asserts that after committing three felonies, a person must face life imprisonment, with the likelihood of parole after being in prison for at least 25 years.

The history of the crime must also include a history of serious or violent crimes. For instance, if a person is committed of battery, rape and felony theft as separate charges, he or she would be imprisoned under the three strikes law (Farrington, 2008). This paper seeks to review two articles and describe the pros and cons of a three strikes law. The articles reviewed are Strikes laws by S.E. Smith and evaluating the impact of habitual offender law, final report by Gordon Waldo. According to Gordon Waldo in his article, evaluating the impact of habitual offender law, those in support of habitual offender law have argued that the nations that implement the three strikes