Criminal Sentences Are Not Set In Stone

When you find out that you are facing a criminal charge, one of the first topics that your criminal defense lawyer will want to discuss with you is the range of sentences for your charge and what this means for your case. If you are facing a criminal charge punishable by one to five years in prison, for example, there are more possible outcomes besides five years in prison or an acquittal. Defendants who get the maximum sentences for a conviction are usually the ones who plead guilty and get a guilty verdict at trial, but not everyone convicted at trial gets the maximum sentence; you are likely to get a longer sentence if there are aggravating factors. When lawyers and clients discuss whether the defendant should fight the charges or seek a plea deal, the decision rests not only on the chances of getting acquitted, but also on the sentence you will likely get if you get convicted. This is why the vast majority of defendants in criminal cases, more than 90 percent, plead guilty and accept the best plea deal available to them. Once the judge pronounces the sentence, though, the story does not always end there; you might get out of jail or off probation sooner than you think. If you have been convicted of a crime and are reeling from the sentence the court just handed down, contact a Tampa criminal defense lawyer.

Ten Years in Prison Means Ten Years in Prison, Except When It Doesn’t

One way to shorten a criminal sentence after the court has handed it down is to get time off for good behavior. Under the current Florida law, convicted defendants can reduce their sentences by abiding by the terms of the sentence, but the credit they receive for this cannot exceed 15 percent of the original sentence. In other words, you must serve at least 85 percent of your sentence before getting out for good behavior. Legislators introduced a bill in 2025 that would make the minimum time inmates must serve before getting out for good behavior 72 percent of the original sentence, but the bill did not pass.

The other way to reduce your sentence is to file an appeal. Wrongfully convicted defendants can appeal their convictions, but even if you acknowledge that your guilty plea or the jury’s guilty verdict was fair, you can still appeal the sentence if you believe that it was unfair. For example, if the court handed down the maximum sentence, even though you had no prior criminal record and there were no aggravating factors, there is a good chance that the appeals court will agree with you that your sentence was excessive.

Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven

A criminal defense lawyer can help you get justice if you acknowledge that your conviction was fair, but you believe that the court handed down an excessive sentence.  Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.

Source:

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