Recently in Sentencing Category

Riley Choate will likely die in prison after being sentenced to 80 years behind bars at a hearing on Friday. The abusive dad was convicted of felony child neglect for confining his son in a dog cage and beating the child to death in 2009.

The case was first uncovered when Choate's daughter, Christina, told relatives that her brother Christian had died after their father beat him repeatedly.

From there, authorities uncovered evidence of systematic child abuse and other crimes. Choate was arrested, charged, and sentenced. But those close to the case say it's still not enough for what he did.

Let's say you've been found guilty of a crime, and received probation rather than jail time. Now you have to figure out how to get along with your probation officer.

Failure isn't an option, since if you don't meet the terms of probation you'll be hauled back into court. You're going to have to find a way to make friends, or if that's not possible, at least get through however long it takes.

Even if your probation officer isn't someone you'd normally give the time of day to, these rules for interaction will make you time together easier so you can be on your way:

On this day before Thanksgiving, President Obama is set to officially pardon at least one turkey so it won't end up on someone's dinner plate. But legally speaking, what exactly is a pardon?

For the lucky turkey, "pardon" may not be the correct term, since as far as we know none of the birds have committed a crime. But a presidential pardon is real, and it's not the only kind of pardon out there.

Thanksgiving aside, pardons are for convicted criminals, not turkeys. But those who receive a pardon, presidential or otherwise, are probably still thankful.

The bad news is that you've been convicted of a crime. The good news is that even if the conviction carries a possible prison sentence, you may be able to avoid jail by receiving some form of alternative sentencing.

There are many different forms of alternative sentencing such as probation or in-house arrest. These forms of sentencing are usually reserved for less severe crimes and allow someone to rehabilitate without going to jail, while also sparing the already overburdened prison system.

Whether you receive one of these options as an alternative to jail will depend upon the specific facts of your conviction. The following are some general rules on how to avoid jail following a criminal conviction.

Ohio teen Tyler Pagenstecher was sentenced to between six months and three years in a juvenile prison after he was found to be a drug "czar" in his Cincinnati neighborhood.

Pagenstecher, who just turned 18, was immediately taken into custody and will be turned over to Ohio's Department of Youth Services. That agency will ultimately decide how long the teen drug czar has to stay in prison, reports CBS.

Pagenstecher was portrayed as a decent kid who just happened to have taken the wrong path by the court. While the teen lived a seemingly normal life outside of the drug dealing, the judge said that he could not allow Pagenstecher to walk without jail time due to the severity of the crime.

Pleading no contest to a criminal charge is similar to pleading guilty, but legally speaking, there are some significant differences that defendants should keep in mind.

Laws in almost every state allow for pleas of no contest, or nolo contendere in Latin, for certain types of cases. No contest means you're conceding the charge without admitting guilt and without presenting a defense.

But unlike a plea of guilty or innocent, a defendant must get a court's consent to plead no contest, which comes with certain legal consequences. Here are three things every defendant should understand:

DUI charges exist in every state for people who drive under the influence, whether in-state or out-of-state residents. The legal limit is the same everywhere thanks to Congressional highway funds that require a 0.08 blood alcohol limit. But states charge DUI offenses in different ways.

Not only are the charges different the sanctions also change based on where you are. Out-of-state residents are also often subject to different punishments than their in-state counterparts.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's better to get pulled over for a DUI out-of-state where the sentences are lower. You could find yourself subject to double the punishment if that happens.

Elder abuse is a serious concern but stolen wedding bands don't necessarily constitute abuse, do they?

Abuse or no, Ashley Michelle Sweeney was found guilty of stealing wedding rings belonging to her elderly patients. She worked as a nursing aide in a state nursing home for veterans in Virginia. The 24-year-old was convicted on Tuesday.

During the sentencing part of trial, Sweeney took the stand to defend herself. She didn't try convincing the judge that her actions were justified but she did want to tell her story.

As an alternative to a night in jail, Pennsylvania offers people convicted of DUI the choice of serving their sentence in a 'DUI Hotel.'

This hotel doesn't have room service or a pool. What it has is alcohol-education programs, treatment sessions, and mandatory evaluations. It's not so much a luxury stay as a last chance for first-time offenders to stay out of jail.

Officially the program is called the DUI Alternative Jail Program and is only available in Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. It earned its nickname because of the way the program is run.

A DUI crash is nothing to laugh out loud about. Just ask a Kentucky judge who sent DUI suspect Paula Asher to jail for a Facebook post that seemed to make light of her legal ordeal.

"My dumb (expletive) got a DUI and hit a car... LOL," Asher's Facebook post said, according to Louisville, Ky.'s WAVE-TV.

That may have been funny to Asher and her friends, but it didn't get her any "likes" in court.