Minnesota's sentencing guidelines upped for first-degree carjacking
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission voted today to make first-degree carjacking a more serious crime than the original proposal from the legislature.
The commission received more than 2,000 public comments, nearly all urging them to maximize carjacking penalties.
The commission voted 5-2 to make first-degree carjacking a more serious level 9 offense. That's the same ranking as third-degree murder.
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So as of Aug. 1 -- next week -- penalties for first-degree carjacking will range from about 7 years to about 13 years in prison, depending on someone's criminal history.
Commissioner Michelle Larkin, who is also an appeals court judge in Minnesota, made the recommendation.
"We need to focus and give greater consideration to the harm of the victims of carjacking, as opposed to harm to the victims of a typical robbery or aggravated robbery case," she said.
The legislature had recommended making first-degree carjackings a level 8 offense, which is the level of armed robberies.
These are Minnesota's first-ever carjacking-specific sentences. It was only this spring that the legislature made carjacking its own crime.
