Looking for local rules and forms? Established in 1931 as the Institute of Government, the School provides educational, advisory, and research services for state and local governments.The forms are intended to be straightforward, but readers are more likely to use the forms correctly if they have a grasp of the applicable legal principles. Know what to expect if you're arrested for the first time in North Carolina. North Carolina uses a sentencing scheme called Structured Sentencing. This provides judgees with guidelines for sentencing criminal offenders. Active punishment involves a jail sentence that you would serve in a local jail or other confinement facility. All felonies and misdemeanors in North Carolina now fall under Structured Sentencing with some exceptions like 1st degree murder, DWI, and a few others. The primary purposes of sentencing a person convicted of a crime are to impose a punishment commensurate with the injury the offense has caused. Once a person is convicted of a felony, they lose the right to vote in North Carolina until they have completed their sentence.