Opinion ID: 1335498
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Term of Imprisonment

Text: The felony DUI statute provides in pertinent part: The department shall suspend the driver's license of any person who is convicted or receives sentence upon a plea of guilty or nolo contendre pursuant to the [felony DUI] section for a period to include any term of imprisonment plus three years. S.C.Code Ann. § 56-5-2945 (emphasis added). The phrase Term of imprisonment has a well-established meaning in South Carolina criminal law. It is a type of criminal sentence, as distinguished from a fine, which is a monetary sanction. See, e.g., Jackson v. State, 331 S.C. 486, 489 S.E.2d 915 (1997). In sentencing, a trial judge may impose a term of years but provide for a suspension of a part of such imprisonment, and the placing of the defendant on probation after serving a designated portion of the term of imprisonment. Moore v. Patterson, 203 S.C. 90, 26 S.E.2d 319 (1943). Probation, a suspension of the period of incarceration, is clearly part of a criminal defendant's term of imprisonment, as is actual incarceration, parole, and the suspended portion of a sentence, e.g., Mims v. State, 273 S.C. 740, 259 S.E.2d 602 (1979); Sanders v. MacDougall, 244 S.C. 160, 135 S.E.2d 836 (1964), or supervised furlough. Crooks v. State, 326 S.C. 171, 485 S.E.2d 374 (1997). Term of imprisonment as used in § 56-5-2945 means the non-fine part of criminal sentence, and includes suspended portions, probation or parole periods, and supervised furlough. The Court of Appeals' decision limiting the meaning of the phrase to the period of actual incarceration is reversed.