State v. Hernandez

Through the use of a single sentence embodied in Rule 3:21-8, this Court has defined a straightforward mechanism to award defendants credit for time spent in custody prior to imposition of sentence following a conviction. Its spare and simple language bears recitation: “The defendant shall receive credit on the term of a custodial sentence for any time served in custody in jail or in a state hospital between arrest and the imposition of sentence.” Ibid.

Commonly called jail credit, the method set forth in our Rule has long served the overarching goals of our sentencing statutes, while…