What is the “Three Strikes” law?

In Tennessee, the “Three Strikes” law is a law which states that those convicted of three major violent crimes will receive an unusually long sentence and normally are incarcerated for life with no possibility of parole. This law was put in place to reduce the number of violent offenders in the state, and to discourage those who might be considering committing violent crimes. The three violent crimes that this law applies to are murder, voluntary manslaughter, and aggravated rape. If an individual is convicted of any of these three crimes three separate times, then they are subject to the Three Strikes law. This means the offender can be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. The Three Strikes law also applies to those who have previous convictions for violent crimes in other states. If a violent offender has already been convicted of a violent crime in another state and then moves to Tennessee, they will still be subject to the Three Strikes law if they commit one of these three violent crimes again. The goal of this law is to reduce the incidence of violent offenses in the state, and to offer some protection to law-abiding citizens from violent crime offenders. By essentially taking these offenders out of circulation, the state hopes to provide a safer environment for all Tennesseans.

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What is the “Three Strikes” law?

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