Sentencing

Black's Law Dictionary (Bryan A. garner ed., 7^th ed. 1999) defines a sentence as: "The judgment that a court formally pronounces after finding a criminal defendant guilty." The punishment may include imprisonment, a fine, or both and must be statutorily authorized. The court may also place a defendant on probation for a period of time and may add special conditions to the probation.

Under § 557.016, RSMo 2000, there are four classifications of felonies (class A through class D), three classifications of misdemeanors (class A through class C), and one classification of infractions.

Fines

The maximum amounts a court may impose for a fine are found in §§ 560.011 and 560.016, RSMo 2000:

Imprisonment

The authorized imprisonment terms a court may impose are found in § 558.011.1, RSMo Supp. 2004:

The court is authorized under § 558.016, RSMo Supp. 2004, to sentence a defendant to an extended term of imprisonment if it finds the defendant guilty of being a persistent offender or a dangerous offender. Upon finding that a defendant is a persistent offender or a dangerous offender, the court may sentence the defendant to an extended term of imprisonment. The total authorized maximum terms of imprisonment are found in § 558.016.7 RSMo Supp. 2004:

If you would more information regarding sentencing then you should contact a defense lawyer from our firm. We provide legal guidance throughout the St. Louis area.