What is the test for determining the severity of a person's sentence?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Gonzalez, B216983, No. KA085778 (Cal. App. 2010):

Under our state Constitution, we "consider the nature both of the offense and of the offender. [Citation.] The nature of the offense is viewed both in the abstract and in the totality of circumstances surrounding its actual commission; the nature of the offender focuses on the particular person before the court, the inquiry being whether the punishment is grossly disproportionate to the defendant's individual culpability, as shown by such factors as age, prior criminality, personal characteristics, and state of mind. [Citations.]" (People v. Martinez (1999) 76 Cal.App.4th 489, 494.)

B. The sentence was not unduly harsh.

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