Twenty-eight states and the federal government enacted three-strikes laws between 1993 and 1995, requiring mandatory life imprisonment for offenders convicted of a third serious felony. Washington passed the first such law in 1993, followed by 13 states and Congress in 1994. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 established the federal version, mandating life sentences for certain violent felonies in federal court. States vary in severity: Georgia, Montana, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin impose life without parole for third strikers. Critics argue these laws disproportionately affect minority communities and lead to prison overcrowding, while supporters claim they deter repeat offenders and protect public safety by incapacitating habitual criminals.