N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1340.17 : CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ACT — DISPOSITION OF DEFENDANTS — STRUCTURED SENTENCING OF PERSONS CONVICTED OF CRIMES — FELONY SENTENCING —1340.17 - Punishment limits for each class of offense and prior record level

(a) Offense Classification; Default Classifications. - The offense classification is as specified in the offense for which the sentence is being imposed. If the offense is a felony for which there is no classification, it is a Class I felony.

(b) Fines. - Any judgment that includes a sentence of imprisonment may also include a fine. If a community punishment is authorized, the judgment may consist of a fine only. Additionally, when the defendant is other than an individual, the judgment may consist of a fine only. Unless otherwise provided, the amount of the fine is in the discretion of the court.

(c) Punishments for Each Class of Offense and Prior Record Level; Punishment Chart Described. - The authorized punishment for each class of offense and prior record level is as specified in the chart below. Prior record levels are indicated by the Roman numerals placed horizontally on the top of the chart. Classes of offense are indicated by the letters placed vertically on the left side of the chart. Each cell on the chart contains the following components:

(1) A sentence disposition or dispositions: "C" indicates that a community punishment is authorized; "I" indicates that an intermediate punishment is authorized; "A" indicates that an active punishment is authorized; and "Life Imprisonment Without Parole" indicates that the defendant shall be imprisoned for the remainder of the prisoner's natural life.

(2) A presumptive range of minimum durations, if the sentence of imprisonment is neither aggravated or mitigated; any minimum term of imprisonment in that range is permitted unless the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A-1340.16 that an aggravated or mitigated sentence is appropriate. The presumptive range is the middle of the three ranges in the cell.

(3) A mitigated range of minimum durations if the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A-1340.16 that a mitigated sentence of imprisonment is justified; in such a case, any minimum term of imprisonment in the mitigated range is permitted. The mitigated range is the lower of the three ranges in the cell.

(4) An aggravated range of minimum durations if the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A-1340.16 that an aggravated sentence of imprisonment is justified; in such a case, any minimum term of imprisonment in the aggravated range is permitted. The aggravated range is the higher of the three ranges in the cell.

PRIOR RECORD LEVEL

0-1 Pt

2-5 Pts

III

6-9 Pts

10-13 Pts

14-17 Pts

18+ Pts

Life Imprisonment With Parole or Without Parole, or Death, as Established by Statute

240-300

192-240

144-192

276-345

221-276 166-221

317-397

254-317 190-254

365-456

292-365 219-292

A A

Life Imprisonment

Without Parole

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

336-420

252-336

386-483

290-386

157-196 125-157 94-125

180-225 144-180 108-144

207-258 165-207 124-165

238-297 190-238 143-190

273-342 219-273 164-219

314-393 251-314 189-251

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

73-92

58-73

44-58

83-104

67-83

50-67

96-120

58-77

77-96

110-138

88-110

66-88

127-159

101-127

76-101

146-182

117-146

87-117

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

64-80

51-64

38-51

73-92

59-73

44-59

84-105

67-84

51-67

97-121

78-97

58-78

111-139

89-111

67-89

128-160

103-128

77-103

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

I/A

25-31

20-25

15-20

I/A

29-36

23-29

17-23

33-41

26-33

20-26

38-48

30-38

23-30

44-55

35-44

26-35

50-63

40-50

30-40

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

I/A

16-20

13-16

10-13

I/A

19-23

15-19

11-15

I/A

21-27

17-21

13-17

25-31

20-25

15-20

28-36

23-28

17-23

33-41

26-33

20-26

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

I/A

13-16

10-13

8-10

I/A

14-18

12-14

9-12

I/A

17-21

13-17

10-13

I/A

19-24

15-19

11-15

22-27

17-22

13-17

25-31

20-25

15-20

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

C/I/A

6-8

5-6

4-5

I/A

8-10

6-8

4-6

I/A

10-12

8-10

6-8

I/A

11-14

9-11

7-9

I/A

15-19

12-15

9-12

20-25

16-20

12-16

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

6-8

4-6

3-4

C/I

6-8

4-6

3-4

6-8

5-6

4-5

I/A

8-10

6-8

4-6

I/A

9-11

7-9

5-7

I/A

10-12

8-10

6-8

DISPOSITION

Aggravated

PRESUMPTIVE

Mitigated

(d) Maximum Sentences Specified for Class F through Class I Felonies. - Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for each minimum term of imprisonment in the chart in subsection (c) of this section, expressed in months, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment, also expressed in months, is as specified in the table below for Class F through Class I felonies. The first figure in each cell in the table is the minimum term and the second is the maximum term.

3-13	4-14	5-15	6-17	7-18	8-19	9-20	10-21
11-23	12-24	13-25	14-26	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

(e) Maximum Sentences Specified for Class B1 through Class E Felonies for Minimum Terms up to 339 Months. Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for each minimum term of imprisonment in the chart in subsection (c) of this section, expressed in months, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment, also expressed in months, is as specified in the table below for Class B1 through Class E felonies. The first figure in each cell of the table is the minimum term and the second is the maximum term.

15-30	16-32	17-33	18-34	19-35	20-36	21-38	22-39
23-40	24-41	25-42	26-44	27-45	28-46	29-47	30-48
31-50	32-51	33-52	34-53	35-54	36-56	37-57	38-58
39-59	40-60	41-62	42-63	43-64	44-65	45-66	46-68
47-69	48-70	49-71	50-72	51-74	52-75	53-76	54-77
55-78	56-80	57-81	58-82	59-83	60-84	61-86	62-87
63-88	64-89	65-90	66-92	67-93	68-94	69-95	70-96
71-98	72-99	73-100	74-101	75-102	76-104	77-105	78-106
79-107	80-108	81-110	82-111	83-112	84-113	85-114	86-116
87-117	88-118	89-119	90-120	91-122	92-123	93-124	94-125
95-126	96-128	97-129	98-130	99-131	100-132	101-134	102-135
103-136	104-137	105-138	106-140	107-141	108-142	109-143	110-144
111-146	112-147	113-148	114-149	115-150	116-152	117-153	118-154
119-155	120-156	121-158	122-159	123-160	124-161	125-162	126-164
127-165	128-166	129-167	130-168	131-170	132-171	133-172	134-173
135-174	136-176	137-177	138-178	139-179	140-180	141-182	142-183
143-184	144-185	145-186	146-188	147-189	148-190	149-191	150-192
151-194	152-195	153-196	154-197	155-198	156-200	157-201	158-202
159-203	160-204	161-206	162-207	163-208	164-209	165-210	166-212
167-213	168-214	169-215	170-216	171-218	172-219	173-220	174-221
175-222	176-224	177-225	178-226	179-227	180-228	181-230	182-231
183-232	184-233	185-234	186-236	187-237	188-238	189-239	190-240
191-242	192-243	193-244	194-245	195-246	196-248	197-249	198-250
199-251	200-252	201-254	202-255	203-256	204-257	205-258	206-260
207-261	208-262	209-263	210-264	211-266	212-267	213-268	214-269
215-270	216-272	217-273	218-274	219-275	220-276	221-278	222-279
223-280	224-281	225-282	226-284	227-285	228-286	229-287	230-288
231-290	232-291	233-292	234-293	235-294	236-296	237-297	238-298
239-299	240-300	241-302	242-303	243-304	244-305	245-306	246-308
247-309	248-310	249-311	250-312	251-314	252-315	253-316	254-317
255-318	256-320	257-321	258-322	259-323	260-324	261-326	262-327
263-328	264-329	265-330	266-332	267-333	268-334	269-335	270-336
271-338	272-339	273-340	274-341	275-342	276-344	277-345	278-346
279-347	280-348	281-350	282-351	283-352	284-353	285-354	286-356
287-357	288-358	289-359	290-360	291-362	292-363	293-364	294-365
295-366	296-368	297-369	298-370	299-371	300-372	301-374	302-375
303-376	304-377	305-378	306-380	307-381	308-382	309-383	310-384
311-386	312-387	313-388	314-389	315-390	316-392	317-393	318-394
319-395	320-396	321-398	322-399	323-400	324-401	325-402	326-404
327-405	328-406	329-407	330-408	331-410	332-411	333-412	334-413
335-414	336-416	337-417	338-418	339-419.

(e1) Maximum Sentences Specified for Class B1 through Class E Felonies for Minimum Terms of 340 Months or More. - Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, when the minimum sentence is 340 months or more, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment shall be equal to the sum of the minimum term of imprisonment and twenty percent (20%) of the minimum term of imprisonment, rounded to the next highest month, plus 12 additional months.

(f) Maximum Sentences Specified for Class B1 Through Class E Sex Offenses. - Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for offenders sentenced for a Class B1 through E felony that is a reportable conviction subject to the registration requirement of Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, the maximum term of imprisonment shall be equal to the sum of the minimum term of imprisonment and twenty percent (20%) of the minimum term of imprisonment, rounded to the next highest month, plus 60 additional months.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1340.17

Amended by 2013 N.C. Sess. Laws 410,s. 3-b, eff. 8/23/2013.

Amended by 2013 N.C. Sess. Laws 101,s. 6, eff. 10/1/2013.

Amended by 2011 N.C. Sess. Laws 412,s. 2.4.(a), eff. 12/1/2011.

Amended by 2011 N.C. Sess. Laws 307,s. 1, eff. 12/1/2011.

Amended by 2011 N.C. Sess. Laws 192,s. 2-e, s. 2-f, s. 2-g, eff. 12/1/2011.

Amended by 2009 N.C. Sess. Laws 556,s. 1, eff. 12/1/2009.

Amended by 2009 N.C. Sess. Laws 555,s. 2, eff. 12/1/2009.

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.