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

§ 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.)