State v. Chad W. Ziegler, 2006 WI App 49, PFR filed 3/13/06
For Ziegler: Kenneth P. Casey, UW Law School
Issue/Holding:
¶23 The principal objectives of a sentence include, but are not limited to, the protection of the community, the punishment of the defendant, rehabilitation of the defendant, and deterrence to others. Id., ¶40. A sentencing court should indicate the general objectives of greatest importance and explain how, under the facts of the particular case, the sentence selected advances those objectives. Id., ¶¶41, 42. Besides the objectives of the sentence, the sentencing court must also identify the factors that the court considered in arriving at the sentence and must indicate how those factors fit the objectives and influenced the sentencing decision. Id., ¶43. The primary sentencing factors which a court must consider are the gravity of the offense, the character of the defendant, and the need to protect the public. State v. Davis, 2005 WI App 98, ¶13, 281 Wis. 2d 118, 698 N.W.2d 823. The weight to be given to each factor is within the discretion of the sentencing court. Id. However, other factors may also be relevant. …
The court goes on to list secondary factors, PSI and counsels’ recommendations, and applicable sentencing guidelines. The court also stresses that Gallion “conveyed a message,” namely that sentences may not be upheld by “implied reasoning”; instead, the explanation for sentence must be on the record. ¶¶23-25.
