A huge part of the sentence will depend on what type of felony crime the person is being sentenced for the third time. Some questions a judge might ask themselves are: Is probation an option, or is prison mandatory? Is there a history of repeating the same behavior, or commiting the same crime?

A person's criminal history is important. A third felony conviction, alone, doesn't necessarily mean a prison sentence. If the crime is probation eligible (and some offenses are not --like murder), the Judge can still impose probation, even if a person had 5 prior felonies.

The amount of time which has passed since the prior felonies occurred may have some influence with a Judge. How old the person was when the convictions occurred can be one of a court's considerations. Whether the person is employed, is married, goes to church, raises a family, and/or has strong family support can all be factors a Judge could consider before imposing a prison sentence or placing a person on probation.