§ 15A-1340.17. Punishment limits for each class of offense and prior record level. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 15A‑1340.17. Punishment limits for each class of offense and prior record level.

(a)        OffenseClassification; Default Classifications. – The offense classification is asspecified in the offense for which the sentence is being imposed. If theoffense is a felony for which there is no classification, it is a Class Ifelony.

(b)        Fines. – Anyjudgment that includes a sentence of imprisonment may also include a fine. If acommunity punishment is authorized, the judgment may consist of a fine only.Additionally, when the defendant is other than an individual, the judgment mayconsist of a fine only. Unless otherwise provided, the amount of the fine is inthe discretion of the court.

(c)        Punishments forEach Class of Offense and Prior Record Level; Punishment Chart Described. – Theauthorized punishment for each class of offense and prior record level is asspecified in the chart below. Prior record levels are indicated by the Romannumerals placed horizontally on the top of the chart. Classes of offense areindicated by the letters placed vertically on the left side of the chart. Eachcell on the chart contains the following components:

(1)        A sentencedisposition or dispositions: "C" indicates that a communitypunishment is authorized; "I" indicates that an intermediatepunishment is authorized; "A" indicates that an active punishment isauthorized; and "Life Imprisonment Without Parole" indicates that thedefendant shall be imprisoned for the remainder of the prisoner's natural life.

(2)        A presumptive rangeof minimum durations, if the sentence of imprisonment is neither aggravated ormitigated; any minimum term of imprisonment in that range is permitted unlessthe court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A‑1340.16 that an aggravated ormitigated sentence is appropriate. The presumptive range is the middle of thethree ranges in the cell.

(3)        A mitigated range ofminimum durations if the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A‑1340.16 that amitigated sentence of imprisonment is justified; in such a case, any minimumterm of imprisonment in the mitigated range is permitted. The mitigated rangeis the lower of the three ranges in the cell.

(4)        An aggravated rangeof minimum durations if the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A‑1340.16 thatan aggravated sentence of imprisonment is justified; in such a case, anyminimum term of imprisonment in the aggravated range is permitted. Theaggravated range is the higher of the three ranges in the cell.

PRIOR RECORD LEVEL

              I                 II                 III               IV                  V                  VI

          0‑1 Pt        2‑5Pts         6‑9 Pts      10‑13 Pts      14‑17 Pts       18+Pts

A         LifeImprisonment Without Parole or Death as Established by Statute

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A              DISPOSITION

        240‑300     276‑345      317‑397      365‑456          LifeImprisonment                     Aggravated

       WithoutParole

B1   192‑240     221‑276      254‑317      292‑365        336‑420        386‑483       PRESUMPTIVE

        144‑192     166‑221      190‑254      219‑292        252‑336        290‑386                   Mitigated

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A              DISPOSITION

        157‑196     180‑225      207‑258      238‑297        273‑342        314‑393                Aggravated

B2   125‑157     144‑180      165‑207      190‑238        219‑273        251‑314       PRESUMPTIVE

         94‑125      108‑144      124‑165      143‑190        164‑219        189‑251                   Mitigated

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A              DISPOSITION

          73‑92        83‑104        96‑120       110‑138        127‑159        146‑182                Aggravated

C       58‑73         67‑83          77‑96         88‑110         101‑127        117‑146       PRESUMPTIVE

          44‑58         50‑67          58‑77          66‑88           76‑101          87‑117                    Mitigated

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A              DISPOSITION

          64‑80         73‑92         84‑105        97‑121         111‑139        128‑160                Aggravated

D       51‑64         59‑73         67‑^t84        78‑97           89‑111         103‑128       PRESUMPTIVE

          38‑51         44‑59          51‑67          58‑78            67‑89           77‑103                    Mitigated

            I/A              I/A                A                 A                  A                  A              DISPOSITION

          25‑31         29‑36          33‑41          38‑48            44‑55            50‑63                  Aggravated

E        20‑25         23‑29          26‑33          30‑38            35‑44            40‑50         PRESUMPTIVE

          15‑20         17‑23          20‑26          23‑30            26‑35            30‑40                     Mitigated

            I/A              I/A               I/A                A                  A                  A              DISPOSITION

          16‑20         19‑23          21‑27          25‑31            28‑36            33‑41                  Aggravated

F        13‑16         15‑19          17‑21          20‑25            23‑28            26‑33         PRESUMPTIVE

          10‑13         11‑15          13‑17          15‑20            17‑23            20‑26                     Mitigated

            I/A              I/A               I/A              I/A                 A                  A              DISPOSITION

          13‑16         14‑18          17‑21          19‑24            22‑27            25‑31                  Aggravated

G       10‑13         12‑14          13‑17          15‑19            17‑22            20‑25         PRESUMPTIVE

           8‑10           9‑12           10‑13          11‑15            13‑17            15‑20                     Mitigated

          C/I/A            I/A               I/A              I/A                I/A                 A              DISPOSITION

            6‑8            8‑10           10‑12          11‑14            15‑19            20‑25                  Aggravated

H         5‑6             6‑8             8‑10            9‑11             12‑15            16‑20         PRESUMPTIVE

            4‑5             4‑6              6‑8              7‑9               9‑12             12‑16                     Mitigated

             C               C/I                 I                I/A                I/A                I/A             DISPOSITION

            6‑8             6‑8              6‑8             8‑10              9‑11             10‑12                  Aggravated

I           4‑6             4‑6              5‑6              6‑8                7‑9               8‑10          PRESUMPTIVE

            3‑4             3‑4              4‑5              4‑6                5‑7                6‑8                       Mitigated

(d)        Maximum SentencesSpecified for Class F through Class I Felonies. – Unless provided otherwise ina statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for each minimum termof imprisonment in the chart in subsection (c) of this section, expressed inmonths, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment, also expressed inmonths, is as specified in the table below for Class F through Class Ifelonies. The first figure in each cell in the table is the minimum term andthe second is the maximum term.

   3‑4                 4‑5               5‑6               6‑8              7‑9             8‑10            9‑11            10‑12

11‑14             12‑15           13‑16           14‑17          15‑18          16‑20          17‑21           18‑22

19‑23             20‑24           21‑26           22‑27          23‑28          24‑29          25‑30           26‑32

27‑33             28‑34           29‑35           30‑36          31‑38          32‑39          33‑40           34‑41

35‑42             36‑44           37‑45           38‑46          39‑47          40‑48          41‑50           42‑51

43‑52             44‑53           45‑54           46‑56          47‑57          48‑58          49‑59

(e)        Maximum SentencesSpecified for Class B1 through Class E Felonies for Minimum Terms up to 339Months. – Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment fora specific crime, for each minimum term of imprisonment in the chart insubsection (c) of this section, expressed in months, the corresponding maximumterm of imprisonment, also expressed in months, is as specified in the tablebelow for Class B1 through Class E felonies. The first figure in each cell ofthe table is the minimum term and the second is the maximum term.

15‑27             16‑29           17‑30           18‑31          19‑32          20‑33          21‑35           22‑36

23‑37             24‑38           25‑39           26‑41          27‑42          28‑43          29‑44           30‑45

31‑47             32‑48           33‑49           34‑50          35‑51          36‑53          37‑54           38‑55

39‑56             40‑57           41‑59           42‑60          43‑61          44‑62          45‑63           46‑65

47‑66             48‑67           49‑68           50‑69          51‑71          52‑72          53‑73           54‑74

55‑75             56‑77           57‑78           58‑79          59‑80          60‑81          61‑83           62‑84

63‑85             64‑86           65‑87           66‑89          67‑90          68‑91          69‑92           70‑93

71‑95             72‑96           73‑97           74‑98          75‑99         76‑101        77‑102         78‑103

79‑104          80‑105         81‑107         82‑108        83‑109        84‑110        85‑111         86‑113

87‑114          88‑115         89‑116         90‑117        91‑119        92‑120        93‑121         94‑122

95‑123          96‑125         97‑126         98‑127        99‑128       100‑129      101‑131       102‑132

103‑133       104‑134       105‑135       106‑137      107‑138      108‑139      109‑140       110‑141

111‑143       112‑144       113‑145       114‑146      115‑147      116‑149      117‑150       118‑151

119‑152       120‑153       121‑155       122‑156      123‑157      124‑158      125‑159       126‑161

127‑162       128‑163       129‑164       130‑165      131‑167      132‑168      133‑169       134‑170

135‑171       136‑173       137‑174       138‑175      139‑176      140‑177      141‑179       142‑180

143‑181       144‑182       145‑183       146‑185      147‑186      148‑187      149‑188       150‑189

151‑191       152‑192       153‑193       154‑194      155‑195      156‑197      157‑198       158‑199

159‑200       160‑201       161‑203       162‑204      163‑205      164‑206      165‑207       166‑209

167‑210       168‑211       169‑212       170‑213      171‑215      172‑216      173‑217       174‑218

175‑219       176‑221       177‑222       178‑223      179‑224      180‑225      181‑227       182‑228

183‑229       184‑230       185‑231       186‑233      187‑234      188‑235      189‑236       190‑237

191‑239       192‑240       193‑241       194‑242      195‑243      196‑245      197‑246       198‑247

199‑248       200‑249       201‑251       202‑252      203‑253      204‑254      205‑255       206‑257

207‑258       208‑259       209‑260       210‑261      211‑263      212‑264      213‑265       214‑266

215‑267       216‑269       217‑270       218‑271      219‑272      220‑273      221‑275       222‑276

223‑277       224‑278       225‑279       226‑281      227‑282      228‑283      229‑284       230‑285

231‑287       232‑288       233‑289       234‑290      235‑291      236‑293      237‑294       238‑295

239‑296       240‑297       241‑299       242‑300      243‑301      244‑302      245‑303       246‑305

247‑306       248‑307       249‑308       250‑309      251‑311      252‑312      253‑313       254‑314

255‑315       256‑317       257‑318       258‑319      259‑320      260‑321      261‑323       262‑324

263‑325       264‑326       265‑327       266‑329      267‑330      268‑331      269‑332       270‑333

271‑335       272‑336       273‑337       274‑338      275‑339      276‑341      277‑342       278‑343

279‑344       280‑345       281‑347       282‑348      283‑349      284‑350      285‑351       286‑353

287‑354       288‑355       289‑356       290‑357      291‑359      292‑360      293‑361       294‑362

295‑363       296‑365       297‑366       298‑367      299‑368      300‑369      301‑371       302‑372

303‑373       304‑374       305‑375       306‑377      307‑378      308‑379      309‑380       310‑381

311‑383       312‑384       313‑385       314‑386      315‑387      316‑389      317‑390       318‑391

319‑392       320‑393       321‑395       322‑396      323‑397      324‑398      325‑399       326‑401

327‑402       328‑403       329‑404       330‑405      331‑407      332‑408      333‑409       334‑410

335‑411       336‑413       337‑414       338‑415      339‑416

(e1)      Maximum SentencesSpecified for Class B1 through Class E Felonies for Minimum Terms of 340 Monthsor More. – Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment fora specific crime, when the minimum sentence is 340 months or more, thecorresponding maximum term of imprisonment shall be equal to the sum of theminimum term of imprisonment and twenty percent (20%) of the minimum term ofimprisonment, rounded to the next highest month, plus nine additional months.  (1993, c. 538, s. 1; 1994,Ex. Sess., c. 14, ss. 20, 21; c. 22, s. 7; c. 24, s. 14(b); 1995, c. 507, s.19.5(l); 1997‑80, s. 3; 2009‑555, s. 2; 2009‑556, s. 1.)