Art. 881.5 Correction of illegal sentence by trial court

If a judge gives someone a sentence that is longer or harsher than what the law actually allows, that mistake can be fixed later. This can happen even after the case seems to be over. There is no deadline for asking, so it can be corrected at any time.

The judge can fix the sentence on their own, without anyone asking. The prosecutor can also ask the judge to fix it, and so can the defendant. The point of this rule is to make sure no one ends up serving more time than the law says they should, and to give a clear way to correct that kind of error whenever it is discovered.