In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge - ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and / or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime. Those imprisoned for multiple crimes will serve a consecutive sentence (in which the period of imprisonment equals the sum of all the sentences served sequentially, or one after the next), a concurrent sentence (in which the period of imprisonment equals the length of the longest sentence where the sentences are all served together at the same time), or somewhere in between, sometimes subject to a cap. Additional sentences include: Intermediate or those served on the weekend (usually Fri - Sun), Determinate or a specific set amount of time (90 days) or Indeterminate which are those that have a minimum and maximum time (90 to 120 days). If a sentence gets reduced to a less harsh punishment, then the sentence is said to have been "mitigated '' or "commuted ''. Rarely (depending on circumstances) murder charges are "mitigated '' and reduced to manslaughter charges. However, in certain legal systems, a defendant may be punished beyond the terms of the sentence, e.g. social stigma, loss of governmental benefits, or, collectively, the collateral consequences of criminal charges.
the shortest time a defendant would serve would result from which type of sentence
a concurrent sentence (in which the period of imprisonment equals the length of the longest sentence where the sentences are all served together at the same time)