Legal Definitions - concurrent-sentence doctrine

The concurrent-sentence doctrine is a legal principle that states that if an appellate court affirms a conviction and sentence, it does not need to hear a challenge to a conviction on another count if the sentence for that count is equal to or less than the affirmed conviction.

For example, if a defendant is convicted of two crimes and sentenced to five years for each crime, but the appellate court only hears and affirms the conviction and sentence for one of the crimes, the defendant will still serve five years in prison because the sentences are concurrent.

This doctrine is used to streamline the appeals process and prevent unnecessary litigation. It also ensures that defendants are not subjected to multiple punishments for the same offense.