State v. Hawkins

Under K.S.A. 21-4720(b), a district judge has discretion to make the sentences either concurrent or consecutive in a multiple-conviction case. Concurrent sentences all share the same clock; the defendant serves only the longest sentence as less serious ones tick away alongside it. Consecutive sentences are a string of separate clocks; time doesn’t begin to count on a second sentence until the first one is fully served, which results in a lengthier time in custody.

Despite the importance of this issue, the district court is not required to give reasons for it- — and the district court’s…