Legal Dictionary of Pakistan
Quick lookup for English, Urdu, and Latin legal terms used in Pakistani jurisprudence.
Sentence
n. The judgment that a court formally pronounces after finding a criminal defendant guilty; the punishment imposed on a criminal wrongdoer < a sentence of 20 years in prison. - sentence, vb.
accumulative sentences
See consecutive sentences.
aggregate sentence
A sentence that arises from a conviction on multiple counts in an indictment.
aggregate sentence.
see sentence.
concurrent sentences
Two or more sentences of jail time to be served simultaneously. * For example, if a defendant receives concurrent sentences of 5 years and 15 years, the total amount of jail time is 15 years.
concurrent-sentence doctrine
The principle that an appellate court affirming a conviction and sentence need not hear a challenge to a conviction on another count if the conviction on the other count carries a sentence that is equal to or less than the affirmed conviction.
conditional sentence
A sentence of confinement if the defendant fails to perform the conditions of probation.
consecutive sentences
Two or more sentences of jail time to be served in sequence. 0 For example, if a defendant receives consecutive sentences of 20 years and 5 years, the total amount of jail time is 25 years. - Also termed cumulative sentences; accumulative sentences.
cumulative sentences
See consecutive sentences under SENTENCE.
death sentence
See SENTENCE.
deferred sentence
See SENTENCE.
definite sentence
See determinate sentence under SENTENCE.
definitive sentence
See determinate sentence under SENTENCE.
determinate sentence
A sentence for a fixed length of time rather than for an unspecified duration. - Also termed definite sentence; definitive sentence; fixed sentence; flat sentence; straight sentence.
ecclesiastical sentence
The judgment in an ecclesiastical case.
faxed sentence
1. See determinate sentence. 2. See mandatory sentence.
fixed sentence.
See SENTENCE.
flat sentence
See determinate sentence.
flat sentence.
See determinate sentence under SENTENCE
fourth-sentence remand
In a claim for social-security benefits, a court's decision affirming, reversing, or modifying the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security. This type of remand is called a fourth-sentence remand because it is based on the fourth sentence of 42 USCA § 405(g): "The court shall have power to enter, upon the pleadings and transcript of the record, a judgment affirming, modifying, or reversing the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security, with or without remanding the cause for a rehearing." See Melkonyan u. Sullivan, 501 U.S. 89, 111 S.Ct. 2157 (1991).
general sentence
See SENTENCE.
indefinite sentence
See indeterminate sentence under SENTENCE.
indeterminate sentence
1. A sentence of an unspecified duration, such as one for a term of 10 to 20 years. 2. A maximum prison term that the parole board can reduce, through statutory authorization, after the inmate has served the minimum tithe required by law. - Also termed indefinite sentence. See INDETERMINATE SENTENCING.
intermittent sentence
See SENTENCE.
life sentence
See SENTENCE.
life sentence.
A sentence that imprisons the convicted criminal for life - though in some jurisdictions the prisoner may become eligible for release on good behavior, rehabilitation, or the like.
mandatory sentence
A sentence set by law with no discretion for the judge to individualize punishment. - Also termed mandatory penalty; mandatory punishment; fixed sentence.
maximum sentence
The highest level of punishment provided by law for a particular crime.
minimum sentence
The least amount of time that a defendant must serve in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
multiple sentences
Concurrent or consecutive sentences, if a defendant is found guilty of more than one offense.
nominal sentence
A criminal sentence in name only; an exceedingly light sentence.
noncustodial sentence
A criminal sentence (such as probation) not requiring prison time.
presentence hearing
A proceeding at which a judge or jury receives and examines all relevant information regarding a convicted criminal and the related offense before passing sentence. -Also termed sentencing hearing.
presentence investigation report
A probation officer's detailed account of a convicted defendant's educational, criminal, family, and social background, conducted at the court's request as an aid in passing sentence. - Abbr. PSI. - Often shortened to presentence report.
presumptive sentence
An average sentence for a particular crime (esp. provided under sentencing guidelines) that can be raised or lowered based on the presence of mitigating or aggravating circumstances.
sentence cap
Military law. A pretrial plea agreement in a court-martial proceeding, by which a ceiling is placed on the maximum penalty that can be imposed.
sentence-factor manipulation
See sentencing entrapment under ENTRAPMENT.
sentence-package rule
Criminal procedure. The principle that a defendant can be resentenced on an aggregate sentence - that is, one arising from a conviction on multiple counts in an indictment - when the defendant successfully challenges part of the conviction, as by successfully challenging some but not all of the counts.
shaming sentence
See shame sanction under SANCTION.
sixth-sentence remand
In a claim for social-security benefits, a court's decision that the claim should be reheard by the Commissioner of Social Security because new evidence is available, which was not available before, that might change the outcome of the proceeding. ( This type of remand is called a sixth-sentence remand because it is based on the sixth sentence of 42 USCA § 405(g): "The court may, on motion of the Commissioner of Social Security made for good cause shown before the Commissioner files the Commissioner's answer, remand the case to the Commissioner of Social Security for further action by the Commissioner of Social Security, and it may at any time order additional evidence to be taken before the Commissioner of Social Security, but only upon a showing that there is new evidence which is material and that there is good cause for the failure to incorporate such evidence into the record in a prior proceeding . . . . " See Melkonyan v. Sullivan, 501 U.S. 89, 111 S.Ct. 2157 (1991).
split sentence
A sentence in which part of the time is served in confinement - to expose the offender to the unpleasantness of prison - and the rest on probation.
straight sentence
See determinate sentence.
suspended sentence
See SENTENCE.
suspended sentence.
A sentence postponed so that the defendant is not required to serve time unless he or she commits another crime or violates some other court-imposed condition. ( A suspended sentence, in effect, is a form of probation. - Also termed withheld sentence.
weekend sentence
See intermittent sentence under SENTENCE.
weekend sentence.
See intermittent sentence.
withheld sentence
See suspended sentence under SENTENCE.