Opinion ID: 2570337
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: california's sentencing scheme

Text: California law specifies a range of three prison terms for most felonies: the upper term, the middle term, and the lower term. Pertinent here is subdivision (b) of section 1170, which states: When a judgment of imprisonment is to be imposed and the statute specifies three possible terms, the court shall order imposition of the middle term, unless there are circumstances in aggravation or mitigation of the crime. (Italics added.) This provision is echoed in rule 4.420(b) of the California Rules of Court: Selection of the upper term is justified only if, after a consideration of all the relevant facts, the circumstances in aggravation outweigh the circumstances in mitigation.  (Italics added.) Thus, under California's sentencing scheme, the trial court cannot impose the upper term unless it finds the existence of one or more aggravating circumstances. That finding is made under a preponderance of the evidence standard. ( Ibid.; People v. Scott (1994) 9 Cal.4th 331, 349, 36 Cal. Rptr.2d 627, 885 P.2d 1040.)