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A judge determines the sentence for each offender. Prosecutors may seek a specific punishment, but the judge makes the final determination. There are some statutes that also may require judges to impose certain conditions as a part of a sentence. These types of mandatory provisions may involve anything from imprisonment to community service or fines. Sentencing also depends on a number of factual considerations. Prosecutors will routinely rely on aggravating circumstances to convince the judge to increase the penalty. Our attorneys will routinely rely on mitigating circumstances to convince the judge to decrease the penalty. Some common types of punishments available in Illinois are incarceration, probation, home confinement, periodic imprisonment, conditional discharge, and court supervision. Punishments such as probation, conditional discharge, and supervision are usually accompanied by a number of conditions. These conditions may include payment of fines, reporting to a probation officer, receiving substance abuse treatment or anger management, or obtaining a GED.
Supervision is not a conviction. Therefore supervision may be a valuable sentencing option. An order of supervision, rather than a conviction, may prevent the secretary of state from suspending a client’s driving privileges. When a court enters an order of supervision, the court essentially defers further proceedings and defers the imposition of a sentence. Supervision is not available for all crimes. Supervision is not available for a felony. The legislature has also passed laws preventing courts from imposing supervision for certain misdemeanor offenses.
In any event, our criminal defense attorneys will always do our best to get your case dismissed, if possible. If a sentence is unavoidable, we are well aware of all sentencing alternatives and will our very best to get our clients the best sentence available.
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