1926 Baumes Law Three Strikes

In 1926, New York passed the Baumes law, named for Senator Caleb H. Baumes, which mandated life imprisonment for anyone convicted of more than three separate felonies, regardless of circumstances. By 1930, 23 U.S. states had adopted similar habitual offender statutes. After prison riots in New York, the state moved to reform the law soon after.

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