<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totality principle</span>

Totality principle

<p>The <b>totality principle</b> is a <a href="/en/Common_law" title="Common law" class="wl">common law</a> principle which applies when a court imposes multiple <a href="/en/Sentence_(law)" title="Sentence (law)" class="wl">sentences</a> of <a href="/en/Imprisonment" title="Imprisonment" class="wl">imprisonment</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-DATPrinSen_1-0"><a href="#cite_note-DATPrinSen-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-OUPClCj_2-0"><a href="#cite_note-OUPClCj-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-SCTotal_3-0"><a href="#cite_note-SCTotal-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span> The principle was first formulated by David Thomas<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-4"><a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span> in his 1970 study of the sentencing decisions of the <a href="/en/Court_of_Appeal_of_England_and_Wales" title="Court of Appeal of England and Wales" class="mw-redirect wl">Court of Appeal of England and Wales</a>:<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-DATPrinSen_1-1"><a href="#cite_note-DATPrinSen-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span></p>

<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r996844942" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}</style><blockquote class="templatequote "><p>The effect of the totality principle is to require a sentencer who has passed a series of sentences, each properly calculated in relation to the offence for which it is imposed and each properly made consecutive in accordance with the principles governing consecutive sentences, to review the aggregate sentence and consider whether the aggregate is 'just and appropriate'. The principle has been stated many times in various forms: 'when a number of offences are being dealt with and specific punishments in respect of them are being totted up to make a total, it is always necessary for the court to take a last look at the total just to see whether it looks wrong'; 'when ... cases of multiplicity of offences come before the court, the court must not content itself by doing the arithmetic and passing the sentence which the arithmetic produces. It must look at the totality of the criminal behaviour and ask itself what is the appropriate sentence for all the offences.'</p></blockquote>

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Criminal trials and convictions</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading notheme" style="background:#aaddff; color:#000;">
Rights of the accused</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.25em;">
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<li><a href="/en/Exclusionary_rule" title="Exclusionary rule" class="wl">Exclusionary rule</a><sup><small>1</small></sup></li>
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<li><a href="/en/Not_proven" title="Not proven" class="wl">Not proven</a><sup><small>3</small></sup></li>
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<ul><li><a href="/en/Totality_principle" title="Totality principle" class="wl">Totality</a><sup><small>5,<span>&nbsp;</span>6</small></sup></li>
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<li><a href="/en/Sexually_violent_predator_laws" title="Sexually violent predator laws" class="wl">Sexually violent predator laws</a><sup><small>1</small></sup></li></ul>
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Portals</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="padding-top:0.25em;;padding-bottom:0.75em;">
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<ul><li><span class="noviewer"><a href="/en/File:Balance,_by_David.svg" class="mw-file-description image wl"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Balance%2C_by_David.svg/30px-Balance%2C_by_David.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="606" data-file-height="558" data-file-type="drawing" height="28" width="30" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Balance%2C_by_David.svg/46px-Balance%2C_by_David.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Balance%2C_by_David.svg/61px-Balance%2C_by_David.svg.png 2x" alt="Balance%2C_by_David.svg"></a></span><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/Portal:Law" title="Portal:Law" class="wl">Law<span> </span>portal</a></li></ul>
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<ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><sup><small>1</small></sup><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/Courts_of_the_United_States" title="Courts of the United States" class="mw-redirect wl">US courts</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><sup><small>2</small></sup><span>&nbsp;</span>Not in <a href="/en/Courts_of_England_and_Wales" title="Courts of England and Wales" class="wl">English/Welsh courts</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><sup><small>3</small></sup><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/Courts_of_Scotland" title="Courts of Scotland" class="wl">Scottish courts</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><sup><small>4</small></sup><span>&nbsp;</span>English/Welsh courts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><sup><small>5</small></sup><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/Courts_of_Canada" title="Courts of Canada" class="mw-redirect wl">Canadian courts</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:85%;"><sup><small>6</small></sup><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/Courts_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="Courts of the United Kingdom" class="mw-redirect wl">UK courts</a></span></li></ul>
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The totality principle is a common law principle which applies when a court imposes multiple sentences of imprisonment. 