How to Read An Arizona Sentencing Chart – Part 1.

The Arizona Supreme Court publishes a chart that summarizes the penalties for Arizona felony convictions.  While the chart is not all inclusive, it does show the sentencing ranges for most Arizona criminal convictions.  Below I have revised the chart and attempted to make it a little more “readable.”

To determine the sentencing range for a criminal conviction you need to know the class of the felony the person has been charged with.  In the first column, on the left side of the chart (in blue), the felony classes are listed.  The chart lists felony classes two (2) through six (6). Class Two (2) felonies carry the longest length of incarceration and Class Six (6) felonies carry the shortest length of incarceration. 

For example, someone charged with a first offense Forgery, is facing the sentencing range displayed to the right of a class 4 felony (3.75 years to 1 year).  The presumptive term is prison is 2.5 years.  That is, the term the judge is presumed to give that person is 2.5 years. However, as with most first time offenses the judge does not have to send the person to prison.  The Judge can merely sentence someone to probation.

The 2008 Arizona Sentencing Chart by the Koplow Law Firm (Click to Enlarge)

There are many nuances to reading the Arizona Sentencing Chart.  Next week I will provide a follow up post to explain the rest of the chart.