life Plus 5 Years?????

[EV0LUTION]

Maybe someone here can explain this to me...

I'm doing a research paper on capital punishment and ran across a guy who was suppose to be killed, but through the endless US appleals court, was able to get his sentence reduced to life plus 5 years.

What the hell does that mean? Life plus Five years, do they keep your body in jail for 5 years after you have died?

 

[Saikou]

Take this with a grain of salt because I've actually had no formal teaching on this... But I'm pretty sure a life sentence is 'only' about 20 / 30 years, which is why you can see people get more than one life sentence, or in this case, life + 5.

 

[XnavxeMiyyep]

Oh, it means that in case the life sentence is overturned, he still gets 5 years.

 

[mkrishnan]

Take this with a grain of salt because I've actually had no formal teaching on this... But I'm pretty sure a life sentence is 'only' about 20 / 30 years, which is why you can see people get more than one life sentence, or in this case, life + 5.

I think this is correct, too -- I think it primarily applies in situations where an "indeterminate" life sentence (i.e. with the possibility of parole) exists. The five years extends the minimum prison term before parole can be achieved. Likewise, in a state where there is a minimum prison term before parole for a life sentence of 20 years, if a person is given two life sentences to run consecutively, then they would not be eligible for parole for forty years.

 

[Drumjim85]

here in TX we just kill them

 

[EV0LUTION]

here in TX we just kill them

Yea found that out. you guys have 488 executions, the closest state is Virgina with 100 executions.

Thanks for all the replies, now I won't look like an idiot when my professor asks me that question. which he will, he doesn't like me too much....

 

[puffnstuff]

I always took "life" to mean 25 yrs

 

[mkrishnan]

I always took "life" to mean 25 yrs

Unless you do an awful lot of drugs, one would hope it'd last longer than that.

 

[synth3tik]

From what I understand, at least here in MN a person is eligible for parole in a life after something like 15-25 years, the +5 would just push their eligibility back. I don't practice law and try my best to not see the wrong side of the law so I am not certain, although I am fairly sure. Personally if someone did something worthy of a life sentence, there is no reason to ever let them out, excluding being found innocent.

 

[Rapmastac1]

here in TX we just kill them

Yeah, you guys in Texas just git'r done huh? I have respect for that! A lot of people don't like the death sentence but I, for one am behind it 100 percent! A lot of people say things like "what kind of society are we where we are killing criminals". Let me ask you this, "what kind of society are we to let those criminals be, and not only that, but to manifest...?"

That is all!


But why the saying, "25 to Life" if "Life" is "25" years?

 

[Mindflux]

But why the saying, "25 to Life" if "Life" is "25" years?

Possibility of parole in 25. But the definition of a "Life sentence" is just that, the rest of your natural born life. This is different in every single country though. Check out the wikipedia article on Life Sentence.

 

[EV0LUTION]

So if life is considered 25-30 years by the law. Do we live live 2.5-3 lives?

I hate technicalities

 

[iJohnHenry]

It's lawyer's work.

Give up trying to comprehend.

Think of it as make-work for them, when the perps are paroled.

 

[JBazz]

Maybe someone here can explain this to me...

I'm doing a research paper on capital punishment and ran across a guy who was suppose to be killed, but through the endless US appleals court, was able to get his sentence reduced to life plus 5 years.

What the hell does that mean? Life plus Five years, do they keep your body in jail for 5 years after you have died?

Without knowing which state it would be impossible to answer. Each states sentencing is different. There is life without the possibility of parole, and then there is life with the possiblity of parole. Many state will stack parolable sentences so that when the parole from one sentence, they start on the next.

A lot of people squawk about federal sentences of one year plus one day. The reason they do that is because you do not get good time for sentences of one year and under. Give them the extra day and they get good time. Depending on what state you are speaking of, it could be something like that.

I always took "life" to mean 25 yrs

Not true. A life sentence is an opened ended sentence. I have heard of lifers doing less than 8 years, and I have heard of federal prisoners who got 5 to life who cannot parole due to no parole boards on the federal level anymore.