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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of felony sentencing in North Carolina. Different types of sentencing guidelines are examined. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KW60_KFlaw032.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
process, and convictions: the sentencing of criminals. Judges face a difficult task in meting out sentences to convicted offenders, and while most states have guidelines in place to regulate sentencing,
there are often case-specific nuances which change the nature of a case in such a way that judges must make careful decisions about how to balance all of the factors
involved. For instance, critical to the modern legal process is the need to balance the fiscal needs of overcrowded prison systems with the social need for justice. This paper will
explore the felony sentencing process in the state of North Carolina. The procedures for sentencing in North Carolina begin immediately following a determination of guilt in a juried trial. At
that point, the judge begins the process of sentencing, and must take a variety of factors into account. To begin with, the category of "felony" is quite a broad and
nuanced one. In North Carolina, there are ten sub-categories of felony, ranging from "A-class" felonies to "J-class" felonies, in order of severity, and each class of felony carries its own
unique guidelines (Dawes et al., 2010). In order to ensure that just sentences are handed out in each specific case, a judge must take in account "the nature of the
crime and the defendants criminal history, including prior record level, types of prior offenses, time lapsed since the last offence, probation or prison history, and the defendants criminal justice status
at the time of the current offence" (Dawes et al., 2010). Only after such factors are considered can a meaningful sentence be handed down. After an initial determination of mitigating
factors is carried out, there are various other legal instruments that might alter a sentence. For instance, in North Carolina, there are a number of legal "breaks" that a judge
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