A split sentence is a combination between a suspended sentence and a DOC sentence or a jail time sentence. So you might have a 7/3 split, and that would be where you’re going to serve seven years in and then you get three years probation. Or, a 5/5 split or whatever the case may be. Sometimes if you’re doing just a little bit of jail time, what they may say in the sentencing is you’ve got a “five years all suspended but the first 30 days”, and then you do 30 days in and the rest is suspended.

So it’s similar in some respects to the deferred because you’re on probation for a period of time and you stay out of jail. But the main difference is with the suspended sentence, you get a conviction. So you work out a plea deal with the state, or maybe you do a blind plea and it gets sentenced by the judge. Either case, if you get a suspended sentence, from that moment that you’re sentenced, you are guilty of that offense and you have it on your record. So, if it’s a misdemeanor, you’ve got a misdemeanor conviction. If it’s a felony, now you’re a convicted felon if you weren’t before.

A deferred sentence is where you’re on probation for a period of time and then it’s dismissed and expunged. A continued sentence is a little bit different. So in a continued sentence, you’ve reached an agreement with the prosecutor and pursuant to that deal, you enter a plea and then you’re put on probation for a period of time.

So there’s usually two ways about a deferred prosecution agreement that it gets worked out. Sometimes it happens before a criminal case is filed. So there’s an investigation going on and there’s negotiations going on with the prosecutor. This happens a lot of times with bogus checks. So if a bogus check gets turned into the DA’s office, a lot of times they’ll contact the person and they workout a payment plan on it.

So first thing about deferred sentence is you don’t want to confuse them with a deferred prosecution. In a deferred prosecution, that’s just a deal between you and the prosecutor, the defendant and the prosecutor. The courts not really involved in that. With a deferred sentence, that’s more formal and it’s done with the court and court’s approval. What is a deferred sentence? That is essentially…..

Oklahoma Department of Corrections has decided that they’re no longer going to receive new inmates from county. Generally, somebody gets charged in a county court, once they’re convicted, they pull chains, and they get sent off to Oklahoma Department of Corrections. And then, they get placed into a penitentiary system there. That’s no longer happening.