A sentencing judge applying the totality principle is not required to make express reference to the non-linear relationship between sentence length and severity, the 'last look' requirement, or the avoidance of a 'crushing' sentence. If the judge is mindful of the critical feature — that the overall sentence reflects the totality of criminality — the judge will be engaging in an exercise that avoids these errors. The question of whether the judge was successful is a matter for appellate review under the manifest excess standard. Modest individual indicative sentences may leave greater scope and need for accumulation in the assessment of the aggregate.
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