{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-279-5","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 279, § 5","heading":"Sentence if no punishment is provided by statute","body":"Section 5. If no punishment for a crime is provided by statute, the court shall impose such sentence, according to the nature of the crime, as conforms to the common usage and practice in the commonwealth. If a person is convicted of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment, he may, unless otherwise expressly provided, be sentenced to imprisonment either in the jail or in the house of correction.","path":["Part IV","Title II","Chapter 279"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter279/Section5","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:25:23Z","sha256":"c54ff6b155e06585c41d9cf50ae433f4304bd586363c132c23bf0a294033aaa8","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-279-4b","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-279-6"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}