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What is a Criminal History?

By Baker Associates

A defendant?s criminal history is extremely relevant once a conviction or guilty plea has been obtained and the trial proceeds to the sentencing phase. The defendant?s criminal history will play a significant role in sentencing and may factor into the length of the sentence, the type of sentence, and whether the sentences will run consecutively or concurrently. If sentences run consecutively, it means that they run back-to-back. For example, two five-year consecutive sentences would amount to a ten year sentence. Conversely, concurrent five-year sentences run at the same time, meaning two five-year concurrent sentences would only result in five years of jail time. As you can see, this distinction can make a world of difference in the amount of punishment a citizen is subjected to...continue to full post

Full post as published by Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog on March 22, 2010 (boomark / email).