Read the section on Ewing v. California. Three strikes laws, or habitual offender statures, are an attempt to combat life long criminals. Essentially, these laws allow prosecutors to increase the punishment if a defendant has prior felonies. For example, in Texas, if a defendant is charged with a first, second, or third-degree felony and has two prior felony convictions, the punishment range could be increased to 25 to life. Do you think these statutes work? Why or why not?