I found this:
Nevada has its own version of California's "Three Strikes" law. Being found guilty of a felony in Las Vegas when you already have two felony convictions may land you in prison for life.
Our Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys have decades of experience in fighting for "not guilty' verdicts and lesser charges so our clients avoid Nevada's "habitual offender" penalties. Scroll down to learn more about the law and how we can help.
Nevada "Three Strikes" Law
Getting convicted of a third or subsequent felony is its own separate crime in Las Vegas. It carries very harsh prison sentences that the defendant may serve in addition to penalties for the underlying felony.
There are three different classes of habitual offenders in Nevada with their own procedures and penalties:
1.Habitual Felons,
2.Habitual Fraudulent Felons, and
3.Habitual Criminals.
Habitual Felons in Las Vegas, NV (NRS 207.012):
This class of habitual offender applies only to people who've been convicted of three of the following serious felonies:
murder
poisoning with intent to kill
perjuring yourself in order to have an innocent person executed
killing the person you're dueling with
soliciting someone to commit a murder, kidnapping, or arson
rape
kidnapping (including aiding or abetting)
robbery
burglary with explosives
invasion of a home with a deadly weapon
first-degree arson
battery with intent to commit rape
false imprisonment by a prisoner
involuntary servitude
racketeering
human trafficking
permitting a child under 14 to undergo sexual abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm in Nevada
permitting a child under 14 to undergo child abuse if you've been previously convicted of similar conduct
making child pornography
promoting a minor to do child pornography
lewdness with a child under 14
having sex with a corpse
poisoning food, water or medicine
transportation or receipt of explosives for unlawful purposes if substantial bodily harm in Nevada results
a second (or subsequent) offense of using or possessing explosives during the commission of a felony
use of explosives to damage or destroy property if substantial bodily harm results
escaping prison by using a weapon or hostages or by causing substantial bodily harm
allowing a child to be present during drug crimes (not counting marijuana)
making available a drug or controlled substance that causes death
vehicular homicide
DUI causing death
not stopping at a car accident causing injury or death
any attempted category A felony
Getting convicted of being a habitual felon is a category A felony in Nevada. The judge may impose any of the following sentences:
life in Nevada state prison without the possibility of parole, or
life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years, or
25 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years
Habitual Fraudulent Felons in Las Vegas, NV (NRS 207.014):
This class of habitual offender applies when the defendant has been convicted of three fraud crimes where:
"Intent to defraud" is an element of the offense, and
the victim of the fraud was a person 60 years old or older1 or a person with a mental disability or a vulnerable person (such as being physically disabled)
Being a habitual fraudulent felon is a category B felony in Nevada carrying 5 to 20 years in prison. To learn more about Las Vegas fraud laws, go to our informational article on Las Vegas fraud laws.
Habitual criminals in Las Vegas, NV (NRS 207.010):
Anyone who's been convicted of any three felonies may be prosecuted as a habitual criminal in Las Vegas. It's the most frequently prosecuted repeat-offender crime precisely because it's not limited to the most serious felonies (like habitual felon) or fraud-related felonies (like habitual fraudulent felon).
The Nevada crime of habitual criminality is divided into two separate sub-crimes. Which one the D.A. pursues depends on the defendant's criminal record:
If a defendant gets convicted of a felony and he/she's previously been convicted of two other felonies, it's a category B felony in Nevada punishable by 5 to 20 years in prison. But if the defendant has three previous felonies, then it's a category A felony in Nevada carrying:
life in prison without the possibility of parole, or
life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years, or
25 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years
The slang for these two sub-crimes is "small bitch" and "big bitch" (the word bitch is from the second syllable of habitual). As you might guess, "small bitch" is when a defendant convicted of a felony has two previous felonies, and "big bitch" is the when the defendant has three.
How Nevada habitual offender laws work
When a defendant who's previously been convicted of two or more felonies faces a new felony charge, the D.A. may do one of two things:
The D.A. may charge the defendant with the appropriate habitual offender crime alongside the current felony charge. Then if the felony charge is ultimately dropped or the defendant gets acquitted, the habitual offender charge would be dropped as well; or
The D.A. can wait to see if the defendant gets convicted of the current felony. If so, the D.A. can then file separate habitual offender charges.
If the defendant is ultimately convicted of the felony but denies being a repeat offender, the court will then hold a hearing on the matter. (If the D.A. waited to file habitual offender charges until after the defendant was convicted in the current felony case, then the hearing can't be held until at least 15 days after the filing.)
Two points to note:
1.The D.A. has the discretion never to file "habitual criminal" charges, and the judge has the discretion to dismiss the charges if the D.A does file them. But if the D.A. pursues habitual felon charges or habitual fraudulent felon charges, the judge does not have the discretion to dismiss those charges.
2.If the D.A. agrees to a plea bargain where no repeat offender charges are filed, the court may on its own impose the charge anyway and adjudicate the defendant guilty.
Also note that federal law has its own three strikes law, and that people may be sentenced under it even if their first two "strikes" were in Nevada state court. To learn more about the federal "three strikes" law, go to our article on the federal "three strikes" law.
http://www.shouselaw.com/nevada/habitual-criminal.html
