(1) The people of the state of Washington find and declare that:

(a) Community protection from persistent offenders is a priority for any civilized society.

(b) Nearly fifty percent of the criminals convicted in Washington state have active prior criminal histories.

(c) Punishments for criminal offenses should be proportionate to both the seriousness of the crime and the prior criminal history.

(d) The public has the right and the responsibility to determine when to impose a life sentence.

(2) By sentencing three-time, most serious offenders to prison for life without the possibility of parole, the people intend to:

(a) Improve public safety by placing the most dangerous criminals in prison.

(b) Reduce the number of serious, repeat offenders by tougher sentencing.

(c) Set proper and simplified sentencing practices that both the victims and persistent offenders can understand.

(d) Restore public trust in our criminal justice system by directly involving the people in the process.

Severability—1994 c 1: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [ 1994 c 1 s 6 (Initiative Measure No. 593, approved November 2, 1993).]

Short title—1994 c 1: "This act shall be known and may be cited as the persistent offender accountability act." [ 1994 c 1 s 7 (Initiative Measure No. 593, approved November 2, 1993).]

Captions—1994 c 1: "Captions as used in this act do not constitute any part of the law." [ 1994 c 1 s 8 (Initiative Measure No. 593, approved November 2, 1993).]