NCJ Number
149808
Date Published
1993
Length
56 pages
Annotation
The new sentencing laws enacted during the 1993 session of North Carolina's General Assembly will how change how offenders are sentenced by creating a system of structured sentencing coupled with a comprehensive community corrections plan.
Abstract
The new laws will replace the current Fair Sentencing Act and will apply to crimes committed on or after January 1, 1995. The laws are based on the principles that sentencing policies should be consistent, certain, and truthful and that they should set resource priorities and be supported by adequate prison, jail, and community resources. The laws classify felons based on the severity of their crime and the extent and gravity of their prior record. Misdemeanants receive sentences under a separate system. Prison and jail resources will be used mainly for violent and repeat offenders, while less serious offenders will be channeled into less expensive intermediate and community programs. A simulation study of the new laws revealed that although fewer offenders will receive sentences of imprisonment, most who do will serve longer terms on average. Tables and charts