Legal Dictionary
Concurrent Sentences
Definition
Sentences for more than one crime that are to be served at the same time, rather than one after the other.
Deep Dive
Concurrent sentences refer to a judicial order where a defendant convicted of multiple crimes serves their sentences simultaneously, rather than one after the other. When a judge imposes concurrent sentences, the total time of incarceration is typically equal to the longest single sentence among the convictions. This sentencing approach is often applied when the crimes are related, occurred during a single criminal episode, or if the court believes that the combined impact of consecutive sentences would be overly punitive given the circumstances.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1A person convicted of both armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon for a single bank heist receives concurrent sentences, serving time for the longer of the two offenses
- 2An individual found guilty of multiple counts of fraud stemming from a single, continuous scheme is sentenced to concurrent terms
- 3A defendant convicted of drug possession and intent to distribute in the same arrest is given concurrent prison terms
Related Terms
SentencingConsecutive SentencesParoleProbation