No priors, multiple charges. How much jail time would this be?
Question Details:
No priors. Charges are split into two cases. One has burglary in the third degree and theft. The other has one burglary in the second degree, theft and possession/make/manufacturing of **** paraphernalia. How long could this person go to jail if found guilty?
It looks like there are five separate offenses charged, between the two sentences. At least in theory, the person could be sentenced to the maximum for each charge, consecutively; typically, when newspapers report an indictiment, this is how they add it up, but this is very rarely what actually happens.
There are a wide range of both "mitigating" factors, which tend to lead to a lighter sentence because they partly explain or excuse the offense (for example, a young person influenced by older co-defendants), and "aggravating" factors which work the other way.
The best guide, usually, for a quick idea of what to realistically expect, is the presumptive sentence for the most serious charge, and for second degree burglary, that's 3-1/2 years in jail.

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