Concord sentence

English

Noun

Concord sentence (plural Concord sentences)

1. (law, historical, Massachusetts) An atypically long sentence with an early parole eligibility, the time of parole eligibility constituting the "real" intended sentence.
   • 1980 February 9, Mitzel, “Man Sentenced to Total Of 39 Years on Charges of Child Pornography, Rape”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 28, page 8:

     The deal agreed to by the D.A. and the defense […] was a little less severe than press reports indicated. In Massachusetts judicial practice, a "Concord" sentence is one that imposes a great amount of time on a convict. However, he is usually eligible for parole after just a few months. […] It is as though the heavy sentences [are] aimed primarily for public consumption.

   • 2000, Massachusetts Sentencing Commission, Survey of Sentencing Practices: Truth-in-Sentencing Reform in Massachusetts‎^[1]:

     Chapter 432 of the Acts of 1993 […] established the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission and introduced the first phase of truth-in-sentencing reform in Massachusetts. The objective of the sentencing reform initiative was to establish a more truthful relationship between the sentence imposed and time served by incarcerated offenders. Some of the specific provisions of this legislation included:
     • the elimination of the Concord or reformatory sentence; […]