Article 19A.

Credits against the Service of Sentences and for Attainment of Prison Privileges.

§ 15-196.1.  Credits allowed.

The minimum and maximum term of a sentence shall be credited with and diminished by the total amount of time a defendant has spent, committed to or in confinement in any State or local correctional, mental or other institution as a result of the charge that culminated in the sentence or the incident from which the charge arose. The credit provided shall be calculated from the date custody under the charge commenced and shall include credit for all time spent in custody pending trial, trial de novo, appeal, retrial, or pending parole, probation, or post-release supervision revocation hearing: Provided, however, the credit available herein shall not include any time that a defendant has spent in custody as a result of a pending charge while serving a sentence imposed for another offense. (1973, c. 44, s. 1; 1977, c. 711, s. 16A; 1977, 2nd Sess., c. 1147, s. 30; 1997-237, s. 3; 2015-229, s. 1.)

§ 15-196.2.  Allowance in cases of multiple sentences.

In the event time creditable under this section shall have been spent in custody as the result of more than one pending charge, resulting in imprisonment for more than one offense, credit shall be allowed as herein provided. Consecutive sentences shall be considered as one sentence for the purpose of providing credit, and the creditable time shall not be multiplied by the number of consecutive offenses for which a defendant is imprisoned. Each concurrent sentence shall be credited with so much of the time as was spent in custody due to the offense resulting in the sentence. When both concurrent and consecutive sentences are imposed, both of the above rules shall obtain to the applicable extent.

Upon revocation of two or more consecutive sentences as a result of a probation violation, credit for time served on concurrent confinements in response to violation under G.S. 15A-1344(d2) shall be credited to only one sentence. (1973, c. 44, s. 1; 2016-77, s. 5.)

§ 15-196.3.  Effect of credit.

Time creditable under this section shall reduce the minimum and maximum term of a sentence; and, irrespective of sentence, shall reduce the time required to attain privileges made available to inmates in the custody of the Division of Prisons of the Department of Adult Correction which are dependent, in whole or in part, upon the passage of a specific length of time in custody, including parole or post-release supervision consideration by the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. However, nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring an automatic award of privileges by virtue of the passage of time. (1973, c. 44, s. 1; 1977, c. 711, s. 17; 1997-237, s. 4; 2011-145, s. 19.1(h); 2012-83, s. 22; 2017-186, s. 2(nn); 2021-180, s. 19C.9(p).)

§ 15-196.4.  Procedures for judicial award.

Upon sentencing or activating a sentence, the judge presiding shall determine the credits to which the defendant is entitled and shall cause the clerk to transmit to the custodian of the defendant a statement of allowable credits. Upon committing a defendant upon the conclusion of an appeal, or a parole, probation, or post-release supervision revocation, the committing authority shall determine any credits allowable on account of these proceedings and shall cause to be transmitted, as in all other cases, a statement of the allowable credit to the custodian of the defendant. Upon reviewing a petition seeking credit not previously allowed, the court shall determine the credits due and forward an order setting forth the allowable credit to the custodian of the petitioner. (1973, c. 44, s. 1; 1997-237, s. 5.)