KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The state Criminal Appeals Court says a Tennessee law that allows longer sentences for gang members is unconstitutional.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1WhkgLi) the Thursday ruling came in the case of three men convicted of attempted second-degree murder for beating a teenager they were kicking out of their gang.
The appeals court left the convictions intact but said the sentences that were boosted by the gang enhancement law could not stand.
The court ruled that the law is so overly broad it allows gang members to serve extra prison time for crimes that had nothing to do with the gang or for the actions in which those being sentenced were not even involved.