Legal Definitions - cumulative sentences

Cumulative sentences, also known as consecutive sentences, refer to a situation where a person convicted of multiple crimes is ordered to serve the sentences for each crime one after another, rather than at the same time. This means the total prison time or period of supervision is the sum of the individual sentences. This approach is distinct from concurrent sentences, where sentences for multiple crimes are served simultaneously, often resulting in a shorter overall period of incarceration.

• Example 1: Multiple Offenses in a Single Incident

  Imagine a defendant is found guilty of both armed robbery and aggravated assault stemming from a single incident where they held up a convenience store and injured the clerk. The judge might impose a 7-year sentence for the armed robbery and a 3-year sentence for the aggravated assault. If these are ordered as cumulative sentences, the defendant would first serve the full 7 years for the robbery, and then immediately begin serving the 3 years for the assault. This results in a total incarceration period of 10 years.

• Example 2: Repeated Criminal Behavior

  Consider a scenario where an individual is convicted of three separate counts of felony fraud, each committed on different victims over a period of several months. For each count, the court imposes a 2-year prison sentence. If the judge orders these sentences to be cumulative, the individual would serve 2 years for the first fraud, followed by 2 years for the second fraud, and then 2 years for the third fraud. The total time spent in prison would be 6 years.

• Example 3: New Crime While on Probation

  Suppose a person is on probation for a prior drug possession conviction, which carried a suspended 3-year prison sentence. While on probation, they commit a new crime, such as grand theft auto, for which they are sentenced to 4 years in prison. If the court decides to revoke their probation and impose the original 3-year sentence, and then orders the 4-year sentence for grand theft auto to be cumulative, the individual would first serve the 3 years for the drug possession violation, and then serve the 4 years for the grand theft auto. This would lead to a combined prison term of 7 years.