How much time for Intent to Possess of a Controlled Substance with a record?

Q: I was sitting in the car all night getting high and I woke up to the police knocking on the window. I opened the door and I had drugs laying on my shirt. (Union City, PA)

A: This is difficult to give a reasonably accurate answer without more information. Generally, the courts sentence according to the sentencing guidelines which are a complex matrix of numbers. The two key factors in the guidelines are the Offense Gravity Score (OGS) which is a number assigned to each offense based on how serious it is, and the Prior Records Score (PRS) which is a number based on the individual’s prior records score. The OGS for Possession of a Controlled Substance will be low as it is an ungraded misdemeanor, but the unknown factor here is the OGS. In larger counties like Allegheny and Philadelphia, possession of a controlled substance usually results in probation. However, in smaller counties, a jail sentence is possible, even for possession of marijuana. Ask your private or public lawyer, they will know.

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