Sentencing is the final act in a court process that involves a judge, and can only come as the result of a conviction or the entering of a plea bargain. Typically, the sentence that is handed down by a judge involves a degree of imprisonment, a fine, and/or other punishments which a defendant that is convicted of a crime may have to face.

If an individual is being sentenced for multiple crimes, a sentence can be consecutive, meaning that a subsequent sentence will begin after the previous one is served, or concurrent, meaning that sentencing will only last as long as the longest single sentence.

The punishments that an individual can be sentenced to are typically laid out in sentencing guidelines that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. However, a judge is given final discretion and arbitration over the length of time or punishment a criminal will be sentenced to satisfy. Sentencing may also be affected by the choices made by the prosecutor or district attorney, who is held responsible for deciding what to charge the suspect with in the first place before the sentencing even takes place.

Some jurisdictions have imposed sentencing laws which cause career criminals, usually individuals who have been sentenced to three crimes, to face a more severe sentence that will cause them to face a much harsher sentence following a third offense.

In addition to the actual sentence, a conviction may also confer social sentencing that develops due to social stigma due to certain categories of crimes.

The statue of limitation that pertains to a legal event, decision, or sentence is defined as the period of time in which a court order can be enacted; furthermore, statue of limitations are the maximum amount of time in which any stipulations passed by the court hold legal relevance.

 

 

Exploring a Statue of Limitation

 

 

Statue of limitations can vary in length depending on the severity or nature of the offense resulting in the passing of a specific statue of limitation; the statue of limitations with regard to a misdemeanor will be far less lengthy than one attributed to a felony – court documentation will fully disclose the details of any particular statue of limitation.

 

 

The Expiration of a Statue of Limitations

 

 

Upon the expiration of a statue of limitation, any court orders pertaining to the initial offense are considered null and void; however, this does not mean that a criminal record is expunged. Although associated penalties end with any given statue of limitations upon expiration, the longevity of a criminal record is unrelated.