Federal Three Strikes Law Mandates Life Imprisonment for Third Violent Felony

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 includes a federal “three strikes” provision mandating life imprisonment without possibility of parole for individuals convicted of a third violent felony or serious drug offense. Specifically, the law requires mandatory life imprisonment for those who commit federal violent felonies if they had two or more previous convictions for violent felonies or drug trafficking crimes.

The “three strikes and you’re out” policy, borrowed from baseball terminology, became one of the most politically popular yet controversial provisions of the crime bill. While federal three strikes cases remained relatively rare due to the limited scope of federal criminal jurisdiction, the provision encouraged similar laws at the state level. California’s version, passed the same year, became particularly notorious for imposing 25-years-to-life sentences for any third felony, including non-violent offenses.

Critics argue that three strikes laws contribute to prison overcrowding, astronomical incarceration costs, and grossly disproportionate sentences—such as life imprisonment for theft of pizza or stealing golf clubs. The laws eliminate judicial discretion and treat vastly different crimes with identical severity based solely on prior conviction history. Research has shown minimal deterrent effect on violent crime rates while creating a permanently incarcerated population serving life sentences for offenses that would otherwise carry far shorter terms. The provision exemplifies the punitive turn in American criminal justice policy that prioritized political symbolism over evidence-based sentencing reform.