Although Texas was the first state to enact a Three-Strikes Law in the early 70’s, twenty-six states have since followed suit. Texas refers to the law as the Texas Habitual Offender Statute which sentences a convicted felon to 2-20 years if he has two prior felony convictions. The twenty-six states which recognize the Three-Strikes Law apply the law in different manners; for instance in California only the first two crimes need be violent or serious felonies while in other states all three crimes must fall under the definition of a violent or serious felony.