Alabama v. Shelton
535 U.S. 654
Facts:
-Shelton (D), is an impoverished individual charged with a misdemeanor and was sent to the assistance of court-appointed counsel.
-D was sentenced to a jail term of 30 days, which the trial court immediately suspended, placing Shelton on probation for 2 years
Issue:
Was the Sixth Amendment right to appointed counsel, was correctly directed?
Holding: Yes. A suspended sentence that may “end up in the actual deprivation of a person’s liberty” may not be imposed unless the D was accorded “the guiding hand of counsel” in the prosecution for the crime charged.
Rule:
A penalty different in kind from fines or the mere threat of imprisonment, and is the line
Analysis:
-This case applies to Defendants who receive suspended sentences rather than actual incarceration.
-A suspended sentence is a prison term imposed for the offense of conviction. Once the prison term is triggered, the D is incarcerated not for the probation violation, but for the underlying offense.
-Without counsel leading to conviction that results in imprisonment – shows the actual deprivation of a person’s liberty.
---
Interested in learning how to get the top grades in your law school classes? Want to learn how to study smarter than your competition? Interested in transferring to a high ranked school?
535 U.S. 654
Facts:
-Shelton (D), is an impoverished individual charged with a misdemeanor and was sent to the assistance of court-appointed counsel.
-D was sentenced to a jail term of 30 days, which the trial court immediately suspended, placing Shelton on probation for 2 years
Issue:
Was the Sixth Amendment right to appointed counsel, was correctly directed?
Holding: Yes. A suspended sentence that may “end up in the actual deprivation of a person’s liberty” may not be imposed unless the D was accorded “the guiding hand of counsel” in the prosecution for the crime charged.
Rule:
A penalty different in kind from fines or the mere threat of imprisonment, and is the line
Analysis:
-This case applies to Defendants who receive suspended sentences rather than actual incarceration.
-A suspended sentence is a prison term imposed for the offense of conviction. Once the prison term is triggered, the D is incarcerated not for the probation violation, but for the underlying offense.
-Without counsel leading to conviction that results in imprisonment – shows the actual deprivation of a person’s liberty.
---
Interested in learning how to get the top grades in your law school classes? Want to learn how to study smarter than your competition? Interested in transferring to a high ranked school?
No comments:
Post a Comment