# K.S.A. § 21-6803: 21-6803 - Definitions > Kansas · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6803 ## Section - **Citation:** K.S.A. § 21-6803 - **Heading:** 21-6803 - Definitions - **Jurisdiction:** Kansas - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** KS Code / Chapter 21 / Article 68 / Section 21-6803 ## Text 21-6803. Definitions. As used in K.S.A. 21-6801 through 21-6824, and amendments thereto: (a) "Aggravating factor" means a substantial and compelling reason justifying an exceptional sentence whereby the sentencing court may impose a departure sentence outside the standard sentencing range for a crime. An aggravating factor may result in a dispositional or durational departure; (b) "commission" means the Kansas sentencing commission; (c) "criminal history" means and includes an offender's criminal record of adult felony, class A misdemeanor, class B person misdemeanor or select misdemeanor convictions and comparable juvenile adjudications at the time such offender is sentenced; (d) "criminal history score" means the summation of the convictions described as criminal history that place an offender in one of the criminal history score categories listed on the horizontal axis of the sentencing guidelines grids; (e) "decay factor" means prior convictions that are no longer considered as part of an offender's criminal history score; (f) "departure" means a sentence which is inconsistent with the presumptive sentence for an offender; (g) "dispositional departure" means a departure sentence imposing a nonprison sanction when the presumptive sentence is prison or prison when the presumptive sentence is nonimprisonment; (h) "dispositional line" means the solid black line on the sentencing guidelines grids which separates the grid blocks in which the presumptive sentence is a term of imprisonment and postrelease supervision from the grid blocks in which the presumptive sentence is nonimprisonment; (i) "durational departure" means a departure sentence which is inconsistent with the presumptive term of imprisonment or nonimprisonment; (j) "good time" means a method of behavior control or sanctions utilized by the department of corrections; (k) "grid" means the sentencing guidelines grid for nondrug crimes as provided in K.S.A. 21-6804, and amendments thereto, or the sentencing guidelines grid for drug crimes as provided in K.S.A. 21-6805, and amendments thereto, or both; (l) "grid block" means a box on the grid formed by the intersection of the crime severity ranking of a current crime of conviction and an offender's criminal history classification; (m) "imprisonment" means imprisonment in a facility operated by the Kansas department of corrections; (n) "mitigating factor" means a substantial and compelling reason justifying an exceptional sentence whereby the sentencing court may impose a departure sentence outside of the standard sentencing range for a crime. A mitigating factor may result in a dispositional or durational departure; (o) "nonimprisonment," "nonprison" or "nonprison sanction" means probation, community corrections, conservation camp, house arrest or any other community based disposition; (p) "postrelease supervision" means the release of a prisoner to the community after having served a period of imprisonment or equivalent time served in a facility where credit for time served is awarded as set forth by the court, subject to conditions imposed by the prisoner review board and to the secretary of correction's supervision; (q) "presumptive sentence" means the sentence provided in a grid block for an offender classified in that grid block by the combined effect of the crime severity ranking of the offender's current crime of conviction and the offender's criminal history; (r) "prison" means a facility operated by the Kansas department of corrections; and (s) "sentencing range" means the sentencing court's discretionary range in imposing a nonappealable sentence. ## Nearby sections - [K.S.A. § 21-6801 21-6801 - Citation of article.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6801.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6802 21-6802 - Basis for applying sentencing guidelines and prosecuting standards; sentencing court to consider alternatives determining appropriate sentence; determination of time when crime committed; law applicable.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6802.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6803 21-6803 - Definitions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6803.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6804 21-6804 - Sentencing grid for nondrug crimes; authority and responsibility of sentencing court; presumptive disposition.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6804.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6805 21-6805 - Sentencing grid for drug crimes; authority and responsibility of sentencing court; presumptive disposition.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6805.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6806 21-6806 - Sentences of imprisonment, good time; pronouncement of sentence in felony cases; off-grid crimes.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6806.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6807 21-6807 - Crime severity scale for nondrug crimes, application to specific crimes; ranking offenses, provision; unranked offenses; unclassified felonies; prior convictions discovered after the plea.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6807.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6808 21-6808 - Crime severity scale for drug crimes, application; presumptive sentences.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6808.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6809 21-6809 - Criminal history categories in criminal history scale.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6809.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6810 21-6810 - Criminal history categories, basis; determination of offenders classification; decay factors; prior convictions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6810.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6811 21-6811 - Determination of offender's criminal history classification in presumptive sentencing guidelines grids.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6811.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6812 21-6812 - Actions which prosecutors may take under agreements with defendants for plea; exceptions relating to prior convictions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6812.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6813 21-6813 - Presentence investigation report; information included; part of court record; confidential information, disclosure to certain parties; report format.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6813.md) - [K.S.A. § 21-6814 21-6814 - Offender's criminal history; admission in court or determined by judge; burden of proof; notice of error by offender; challenge for first time on appeal, burden of proof and procedure.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6814.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KS_C21_A68_S21-6803. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.