Three Strike Laws Jail Punishment People Break Times Crime

"Three-strike laws" are laws that "mandate" (require) "strict" (harsh; severe) punishments for "repeat offenders" (people who break the law more than once). The term is "taken" (adapted) from baseball, where players can get up to three "strikes" (instances where they swing at the ball, but miss), but on the third strike they are "out" (must leave the field). With a three-strike law, an "offender" (criminal) may receive a "relatively" (comparatively) "mild" (soft; gentle; not harsh) punishment the first two times he or she commits a crime, but the third time there is a "mandatory" (required) "prison sentence" (a length of time when one must stay in jail as punishment).

As of 2015, 24 states had three-strike laws. The laws are popular because they reduce "recidivism" (the rate at which criminals break the law again or end up in jail again), but they also have negative consequences. In many of the states, at least one of the three crimes has to be a violent crime, such as "assault" (attack), "rape" (sexual attack; forced sex), or murder. But in other states, such as California, people are sometimes given very long prison sentences for relatively minor crimes. For example, someone who steals from a store three times may end up in jail for many years. This leads to "overcrowding" (with too many people in a small area) in many jails and growing expenses for the state. And the "criminal record" (a history of being in jail) can make it very difficult for those "ex-offenders" (people who have committed a crime in the past) to find a good job or housing.