When crimes can continue indefinitely, is there a limit to how frequently it can be prosecuted?
<p>Crimes such as possession of drugs and weapons, or speeding, can continue for long periods of time if not interupted.</p>
<p>If evidence of the crimes comes to light later, what sort of rules limit the count of convictions that can be made?</p>
<p>For instance if illegal drugs are possesed for a long time, can that be more than one count of posession? What if the same drugs are posessed, discarded, and then picked up again?</p>
<p>Or if a weapon is illegally posessed in a public place, can there be a separate count each time the defendant goes into the public place?</p>
<p>If somoene speeds in a motor vehicle over a long distance can that give rise to multiple speeding offences?</p>
<p>I've posed multiple questions here but I'm curious about the general principles that may apply, hence posting as one question.</p>

<p><a href="/questions/tagged/new-zealand" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;new-zealand&#39;" rel="tag">new-zealand</a></p>
<p>That is what the term &quot;<a href="https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2011/0081/latest/DLM3360062.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">representative charge</a>&quot; is for.</p>
<p>Similar charges may be joined (&quot;amalgamated&quot;) into one representative charge, or a representative charge may be divided into separate ones (<a href="https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2011/0081/latest/DLM3360063.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s 21</a>). Whatever the court sees fit.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>For instance if illegal drugs are possessed for a long time, can that
be more than one count of possession?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Generally, a continuous period of possession would be one count, and in practice, usually only an instance when someone is caught red handed in possession is usually charged.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What if the same drugs are possessed, discarded, and then picked up
again?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In theory, that could be an issue. In practice, it almost never comes up as only the possession at the time of a search or arrest is charged in the vast majority of cases.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Or if a weapon is illegally possessed in a public place, can there be
a separate count each time the defendant goes into the public place?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Usually, a continuous period of possession would be charged as a single count.</p>
<p>Also, in sentencing, when there are multiple counts, sentences for multiple counts arising from the same nucleus of facts and circumstances, call it the same course of action or event, are usually served concurrently, so that only the longest sentence matters, rather than consecutively, although there are exceptions, for example, in cases where there are multiple victims of certain violent crimes.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If someone speeds in a motor vehicle over a long distance can that
give rise to multiple speeding offenses?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Speeding is almost always charged as a single offense at the time someone is stopped for it, in practice. Someone on a long trip who is stopped multiple times (often in different states) could get multiple speeding citations, in multiple stops, however.</p>

<p><a href="/questions/tagged/germany" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;germany&#39;" rel="tag">germany</a></p>
<p>The German terms are <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__53.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tatmehrheit</a> and <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__54.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gesamtstrafe</a>. Multiple crimes can be judged concurrently, the sentence will fall between the highest individual penalty and the sum of all penalties.</p>

<p><a href="/questions/tagged/new-jersey" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;new-jersey&#39;" rel="tag">new-jersey</a></p>
<p>A parking ticket, for the same offense, cannot be issued more than once a day.  In fact, I don't believe if 2 tickets are issued, both can be entered into the computer system tracking them.</p>

criminal-law