Many states, including Massachusetts, have what is called a “Three Strikes Law.” This rule mandates life sentences for repeat violent offenders.

Under this law, a Massachusetts judge must impose the maximum sentence for a person’s third violent felony offense. Any single person convicted of three separate felonies can be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, even if each felony only carried a two-year sentence.

A felony is the worst class of crime you can be charged with, after an infraction or misdemeanor. Any time a U.S. Citizen is charged with a felony, they are entitled to a jury trial and legal representation.

Only specific felonies can be considered under the three strike rule. Massachusetts law outlines 41 different felony charges that constitute a ‘strikeable’ offense. Persons convicted of a third strike will serve the maximum penalty and have no opportunity for parole. Since the implementation of the three strikes law, Massachusetts has gone from having one natural life felony with no possibility of parole, which was first-degree murder, to nineteen natural life felonies, if indeed the felony is a third strike.

The three strikes law has a severe impact on the sentencing of people convicted of criminal offenses. Anyone facing a felony charge in Massachusetts needs to be represented by an experienced criminal defense attorney.