Skip navigation.
Home | About Us | Contact Us
Rick Scott, Governor
Florida Department of Corrections, Secretary Michael D. Crews

Florida Department of Corrections
Michael D. Crews, Secretary

Sentencing Guidelines
1996-97 Annual Report
first | previous | 10 of 39 | next

Part II Impact

SECTION 4. Sentence Severity and Prior Record

GOAL: The severity of the sentence increases with the length and nature of the offender's prior record. F.S. 921.001(4)(a)4.

FACT: As the number of prior felony convictions increases, the percentage of offenders sentenced to state prison increases.

FINDINGS:

  • Nearly 52% of offenders had no prior offense records or misdemeanors only (Table 1).

  • Only 8.6% of the offenders with no prior felonies were sentenced to state prison. More than 62% of offenders with six or more prior felony convictions were sentenced to state prison, regardless of the severity of the current offense (Table 2).

  • 61% of all offenders with no prior felony convictions were sentenced to probation (Table 2).

FACT: The average length of a state prison sentence increases as the number of prior felony convictions of offenders increases.

FINDINGS:

  • For offenders convicted of offenses with sentencing guidelines severity levels between 1 and 4, the average increase in state prison sentence length for each prior felony was 4.7 months. For levels 5 to 7, the increase for each prior felony resulted in an average increase of 9.2 months. And for levels 8 to 10, each prior felony added an average of 12.7 months to the state prison sentence (Table 3).

 

Table 1
 
Number of Prior Offenses
Fiscal Year 1996-97
     
Prior Offenses Number Percent
None 31,461 27.7%
Misdemeanors Only 27,365 24.1%
1 Felony 22,526 19.8%
2 Felonies 15,149 13.3%
3 Felonies 8,873 7.8%
4 Felonies 4,592 4.0%
5 Felonies 2,182 1.9%
6 Felonies 861 0.8%
7 or More Felonies 538 0.5%
Total 113,547 100.0%

 

Table 2
 
Prior Felony Record and Sanction Imposed
Fiscal Year 1996-97
   
             
Number of            
Prior State Community   County Other  
Felonies Prison Control Probation Jail Sentence Total
0 5,064 6,419 35,864 11,146 333   58,826
  8.6% 10.9% 61.0% 18.9% 0.6%   100.0%
1 3,588 2,764 8,969 7,156 49   22,526
  15.9% 12.3% 39.8% 31.8% 0.2%   100.0%
2 3,769 1,798 4,546 5,003 33   15,149
  24.9% 11.9% 30.0% 33.0% 0.2%   100.0%
3 2,997 892 2,132 2,841 11   8,873
  33.8% 10.1% 24.0% 32.0% 0.1%   100.0%
4 2,135 389 842 1,223 3   4,592
  46.5% 8.5% 18.3% 26.6% 0.1%   100.0%
5 1,190 188 302 501 1   2,182
  54.5% 8.6% 13.8% 23.0% 0.0%   100.0%
6 or more 874 100 138 287 0   1,399
  62.5% 7.1% 9.9% 20.5% 0.0%   100.0%
Total 19,617 12,550 52,793 28,157 430   113,547
  17.3% 11.1% 46.5% 24.8% 0.4%   100.0%
Note: In some instances offenses are listed on the scoresheet but are not scored or reflected in the total points. This may have a small effect on the above tables.
 

Table 3
 
Average State Prison Sentence Length in Months
by Prior Felony Record and Sentencing Guidelines Level
Fiscal Year 1996-97
   
   
Number of Sentencing Guidelines Level
Prior Felonies 1-4 5-7 8-10
0 23.6 37.3 110.0
1 22.8 37.9 120.9
2 23.6 44.9 125.2
3 27.4 49.7 143.7
4 32.5 60.8 143.4
5 37.0 64.9 162.3
6 or more 46.5 84.0 171.2
Average Increase in  
Sentence for Each 4.7 9.2 12.7
Additional Prior Felony* months months months
       
* Calculations based on 6 or more prior felonies equal to 6.
Note: In some instances offenses are listed on the scoresheet but are not scored or reflected in the total points. This may have a small effect on the above table.
Sentencing Guidelines
1996-97 Annual Report
first | previous | 10 of 39 | next