habitual criminal law
noun
: a law that imposes greater penalties if a convicted defendant has previously been convicted of one or more crimes
Note: Some such laws have been challenged on the ground of violating the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or on the ground of being an ex post facto law.
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“Habitual criminal law.” Merriam-Webster.com Legal Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal/habitual%20criminal%20law. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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