Additional Sentencing Considerations

Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences, and Double Punishment

Judges often have discretion to decide whether to give defendants who are convicted of separate crimes concurrent or consecutive sentences. (See Oregon v. Ice, U.S. Sup. Ct.

Consideration of Dismissed Charges at Sentencing

Dean agrees to plead guilty to armed robbery. In exchange, the prosecution agrees to dismiss the remaining charges against him: assault and burglary.

Federal Sentencing Guidelines: Mandatory or Not?

Congress passed The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 in response to concerns that federal judges’ sentences tended to be too lenient and vary too much from one locale to another.

What’s the difference between consecutive and concurrent sentencing?

A jury convicts a defendant of two charges. The judge sentences her to three years in prison for Count 1 and two years in prison for Count 2, to run consecutively.

Why Do Judges Hand out Multiple Life Sentences?

It seems nonsensical: Why sentence a defendant to more than one “life” sentence? Life is, after all, life.