‘Three Strikes’: New Iowa law enforced beginning on July 1
A new ‘3 Strikes’ law in Iowa will result in the disproportionate incarceration of Black Iowans and lead to new prison construction, officials have projected.
Iowans who have two felony convictions and receive a third will now face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence, with no parole eligibility until they have served a minimum of seven years, under HF2542, which took effect on July 1, along with a host of other new laws.
“The three strikes bill is three felonies, and you get a mandatory sentence of 20 years, with a minimum of seven years served, so let me put that into perspective: It doesn’t take much to get a felony in Iowa,” said State Rep. Brian Meyer, during a June 30 Summer Legislative Community Conversation at Lifestyle Juices in Des Moines, hosted by State. Rep. Rob Johnson.
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