The Career Criminal Accountability Act of 2026 creates a federal "three strikes" sentencing system that imposes mandatory enhanced penalties on repeat offenders convicted of specified crimes. Under the bill, different offenses count as different fractions of a "strike"—misdemeanors count as one-quarter, nonviolent felonies as one-half, and violent or firearm-related felonies as full strikes. Once a defendant accumulates three or more strikes across separate criminal episodes and is convicted of an eligible offense, judges must add consecutive prison sentences: 10 years for nonviolent felonies, 15 years for firearm offenses, and life imprisonment for violent felonies (with some exceptions allowing 20-year sentences instead). The bill affects federal defendants convicted of crimes ranging from drug trafficking and burglary to murder, sexual assault, and robbery, though juvenile convictions count for reduced strike values and misdemeanor-only three-strike triggers do not trigger enhancements until a subsequent felony conviction occurs. No new funding or implementation timeline is specified in the legislation.
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