{"id":823,"date":"2022-08-27T02:10:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-27T06:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tampacriminallawyer.net\/?p=823"},"modified":"2026-01-09T02:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T07:43:16","slug":"florida-court-explains-violent-career-criminal-sentencing-enhancements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.criminalattorneytampa.net\/blog\/florida-court-explains-violent-career-criminal-sentencing-enhancements\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Court Explains Violent Career Criminal Sentencing Enhancements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida courts generally use sentencing guidelines when determining what constitutes an appropriate penalty for a criminal conviction. The courts have discretion with regard to sentencing in some instances, however. For example, if they deem a defendant a violent career criminal, they can impose sentencing enhancement. They can only do so in cases in which the defendant meets the criteria to qualify as a violent criminal, however. In a recent Florida ruling<\/a>, a court discussed whether the crime of battery on a person over the age of 65 is a qualifying offense, ultimately ruling that it is not. If you are charged with battery or any other violent crime, it is smart to talk to a Tampa violent crime defense lawyer about your potential defenses.<\/p>\n

History of the Case<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It is reported that the defendant was charged with and convicted of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, which was a felony. During sentencing, the judge determined that the defendant met the criteria to be sentenced as a violent career criminal due to his prior convictions for aggravated assault and battery of a person over the age of 65. Pertinent to the subject case, the sentencing judge found that the crime of battery of a person over the age of 65 constituted a qualifying offense because it was a felony battery. He then sentenced the defendant to fifteen years in prison. The defendant appealed<\/p>\n

Violent Career Criminal Sentencing Enhancements<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On appeal, the defendant argued that the trial court erred in deeming him a violent career criminal because the offense of battery on a person over the age of 65 was not a forcible felony for purposes of violent career criminal sentencing. The state did not disagree with the defendant\u2019s argument. Instead, it acknowledged a prior ruling issued by the Florida Supreme Court in which battery crimes that did not necessarily involve violence or physical force could not be considered forceable felonies. Continue Reading \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Florida courts generally use sentencing guidelines when determining what constitutes an appropriate penalty for a criminal conviction. The courts have discretion with regard to sentencing in some instances, however. For example, if they deem a defendant a violent career criminal, they can impose sentencing enhancement. They can only do so in cases in which the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-violent-crime"],"yoast_head":"\nViolent Career Criminal Enhancements<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get the facts on violent career criminal sentencing enhancements in Florida and why they can add many years to your sentence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.criminalattorneytampa.net\/blog\/florida-court-explains-violent-career-criminal-sentencing-enhancements\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" 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