Those who have committed a felony in Missouri and are convicted in a court of law can receive a sentence of a specified length of time in jail. The court can also order that the defendant be placed on probation, which would mean that there are strict guidelines that the defendant would need to follow. In the event that a felon is convicted of committing a significant crime or if there are two or more other felony convictions, then the defendant could be sentenced to life in prison.
Violent felonies usually include robbery, murder, rape, and other offenses that would typically carry at least a 10-year sentence if convicted in a court of law. Crimes that don’t involve harm to another person can sometimes be excluded from a three-strikes sentencing mandate if the defendant can show that there was no intent to cause harm.
At least half the states in the country use a three-strikes system during the sentencing process. The goal of the system is to keep defendants from committing crimes in the future after they have been convicted and served time in jail or completed another type of sentence handed down by the court, such as probation.
After stealing merchandise from a retailer, a defendant appears in court and is sentenced under the three-strikes law due to having a past felony conviction and serving time in prison. An attorney can review the evidence pertaining to the new crime and challenge the court as to whether or not the crime committed is one that meets the requirements of the three-strikes laws. If convicted, the defendant’s attorney can file an appeal or approach the court to request a lesser sentence.