Tag: sentencing

$5,000 or $15,000? The Application of JVTA Assessment Fines on a Per-Count Basis

Rachel Vande Kieft, Staff Edtior
The Tenth Circuit interprets the JVTA to apply on a per-count basis.

Equal Protection of the Laws is Not Discretionary

Evan Bolton, Staff Editor State v. Myers, No. 123,439 (Kan. Ct. App. April 8, 2022) Issue: Does § 21-6819 of the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act, which allows two or more criminal cases to be consolidated for trial if …

Two Paths for Calculating Criminal History: Path of Admission Relieves State from Producing Additional Evidence

Lexi Christopher, Staff Editor State v. Corby, No. 122,584 (Kan. Jan. 21, 2022) Issue: A presentence investigation report (PSI) listed two prior convictions under K.S.A. § 8-1568.  However, the PSI did not specify under which subsection the violations …

State v. Albano: Revisiting the Right to Have a Jury Consider Sentence-Enhancing Prior Convictions

Author: Dahnika Short, Staff Editor  State v. Albano, No. 120,767 (Kan. May 28, 2021)  Issue: Does Section 5 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights guarantee the right to have a jury determine the existence of sentence-enhancing prior convictions under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines …

District Courts May Impose Sentences Concurrently or Consecutively When the Sentencing Occurs for Multiple Cases on the Same Day

Author: Michael Raven, Comments Editor State v. Dunham, No. 121,081 (Kan. Ct. App., July 31, 2020) Issue: Following his probation revocation, the trial court sentenced Jeremy Dunham for multiple cases on the same date. Kan. Stat. Ann. § …

Kansas Law Review blog

Kansas District Courts’ Authority to Interpret Ambiguous Jury Verdicts

Author: Ellen Bertels, Comments Editor State v. Brown, No. 115,817 (Kan. June 5, 2020). Issue:  Can a district court invoke the surplusage rule and discard part(s) of a jury verdict form when the form incorrectly lists the crimes …

Kansas Law Review blog

Mootness After Sentence Completion: A Prudential Analysis

Under Kansas law, a petitioner’s appeal to correct an illegal sentence is moot if the sentence is already complete, unless there is a collateral injury that the motion can correct.

Knowingly and Fairly Made Pleas

State v. Terning, No. 119,904 (Kan. Ct. App. Feb. 20, 2020). Issue: Under a motion to withdraw, is a plea knowingly and fairly made when the possible sentence term was mathematically different from the corrected sentence term? Answer: Yes, a …

Retroactively Applying Limited Fact Finding for Out of State Prior Convictions to Illegal Sentence Challenges

State v. Gales, No. 119,302 (Kan. Oct. 4, 2019). Issue: Should limited fact finding for out of state prior convictions to illegal sentence challenges apply retroactively? Answer: Yes.  Limited fact finding for out of state prior convictions to …

No Appeal for the Imposition of Adult Sentences on Juveniles Who Violate Terms of Conditional Release

In the Matter of J.S.P., No. 118,790 (Kan. Ct. App. Mar. 15, 2019). Issue: Does a court have jurisdiction over a juvenile offender’s appeal from the revocation of a juvenile sentence and the imposition of an extended juvenile …