Although the prison system in the United States has many different rules, procedures, and requirements, few remain as controversial as a three-strikes rule law. These policies stay in place and are designed to punish repeat offenders, primarily those who habitually commit violent crimes.
The first three-strike rule laws began popping up in the early 1970s, and today, more than half of all states in the union have enacted some form of them. However, once the federal government adopted the process into a set of mandatory sentencing rules, the process has created room for abuse.
The state of Pennsylvania is one of the communities that does maintain a three-strikes policy. If the courts determine that you continually commit violent felonies, you can find yourself serving anywhere from 25 years to an entire life sentence, conducted within a maximum-security facility.
Can I Bail Out?
You might wonder if there is such a thing as dedicated 3 strikes bail bonds for repeat offenders. Unfortunately, the best chance that you have of receiving the possibility of bail is on your first arrest.
The more times that you get arrested, especially for the same or similar offenses, the least likely you are to get released until trial. As you continue living a life of crime, the more of a threat you get deemed towards society by the court system.
By the third time that you committed a violent felony, the judge has no choice but to send you away, possibly for the rest of your life. Because of how many times the judge has already seen you, you likely aren’t going to get the chance to post bail for your lost freedom.
What is a Violent Felony?
According to the Department of Justice, any crime committed that uses force or the risk of force qualifies as a serious violent felony. That can range from manslaughter and murder to kidnapping, and even sexual assault cases.
Committing any number of these crimes will count towards your total number of offenses. Even if it isn’t the same laws broken, as long as it’s considered a violent crime, you’re only hurting yourself.
Although some communities are beginning to enact changes towards their local three-strikes laws, they currently remain in place here in Pennsylvania. Committing violent criminal offenses is a surefire way of spending the rest of your life in a hardened prison facility.
