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Legal Information: Delaware

Statutes: Delaware

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Updated: 
September 13, 2023

§ 4205. Sentence for felonies

(a) A sentence of incarceration for a felony shall be a definite sentence.

(b) The term of incarceration which the court may impose for a felony is fixed as follows:

(1) For a class A felony not less than 15 years up to life imprisonment to be served at Level V except for conviction of first degree murder in which event § 4209 of this title shall apply.

(2) For a class B felony not less than 2 years up to 25 years to be served at Level V.

(3) For a class C felony up to 15 years to be served at Level V.

(4) For a class D felony up to 8 years to be served at Level V.

(5) For a class E felony up to 5 years to be served at Level V.

(6) For a class F felony up to 3 years to be served at Level V.

(7) For a class G felony up to 2 years to be served at Level V.

(c) In the case of the conviction of any felony, the court shall impose a sentence of Level V incarceration where a minimum sentence is required by subsection (b) of this section and may impose a sentence of Level V incarceration up to the maximum stated in subsection (b) of this section for each class of felony.

(d) Where a minimum, mandatory, mandatory minimum or minimum mandatory sentence is required by subsection (b) of this section, such sentence shall not be subject to suspension by the court.

(e) Where no minimum sentence is required by subsection (b) of this section, or with regard to any sentence in excess of the minimum required sentence, the court may suspend that part of the sentence for probation or any other punishment set forth in § 4204 of this title.

(f) Any term of Level V incarceration imposed under this section must be served in its entirety at Level V, reduced only for earned “good time” as set forth in § 4381 of this title.

(g) No term of Level V incarceration imposed under this section shall be served in other than a full custodial Level V institutional setting unless such term is suspended by the court for such other level sanction.

(h) The Department of Correction, the remainder of this section notwithstanding, may house Level V inmates at a Level IV work release center or halfway house during the last 180 days of their sentence; provided, however, that the first 5 days of any sentence to Level V, not suspended by the court, must be served at Level V.

(i) The Department of Correction, the remainder of this section notwithstanding, may grant Level V inmates 48-hour furloughs during the last 120 days of their sentence to assist in their adjustment to the community.

(j) No sentence to Level V incarceration imposed pursuant to this section is subject to parole.

(k) In addition to the penalties set forth above, the court may impose such fines and penalties as it deems appropriate.

(l) In all sentences for less than 1 year the court may order that more than 5 days be served in Level V custodial setting before the Department may place the offender in Level IV custody.