Felony sentencing guidelines in Tennessee govern the amount of time a person could receive for each felony conviction.
Grading of felonies in Tennessee
Sentencing guidelines in Tennessee govern the amount of time a person could receive for each felony conviction. Every felony in Tennessee is a certain grade of felony. The type or grade of felony is ranked A-E. An A felony is the highest severity. An E felony is the lowest severity. While an A felony can carry up to 60 years in jail, an E felony can carries up to 6 years in jail. Here is a complete breakdown of the felony grades and it’s respective associated years.
Release Eligibility Date – Range of Offender
Release eligibility is the minimum amount of time to be served on a felony before one can be placed on parole. This is based on your range. Range is calculated with respect to one’s prior criminal history. A person with no criminal history would almost certainly be a range one offender. Range one offenders have release eligibility after 30% of the time is served. The range categories are one, two, multiple and career. Career offenders have release eligibility after 60% of the time is served. Here is a complete breakdown of ranges and release eligibility.
Time to Serve vs. Probation
Not all sentences require jail time. Many times in Tennessee, a felony can result in one being placed on probation. While the release eligibility does not come into play on a probation sentence, the grade of the felony does. For instance, if a first-time offender was convicted of a class E felony, they could be placed on probation with the state for up 4 years. The length possible for probation follows the grading of the offense. If an offender picks up a new charge while on probation, that probation can be revoked and the sentence be placed into effect.
Mandatory minimum time in Tennessee
Certain offenses in Tennessee require a day for day sentence or a 100% sentence. Among these types of charges are sex crimes, DUIs, and other violent crimes.
Criminal Law Blogs
→ BLOG: A BIG Change to Expungement Laws in Tennessee
→ BLOG: Confidential Informants and the Law
→ BLOG: Marijuana Evidence Suppressed
→ BLOG: Tennessee Sentencing Guidelines
