I just heard on the TV that someone got life in prison plus 47 years. I never understood this. Life in prison is life in prison so what does this mean when they get additional time on top of life in prison?
In: 536
Someone getting life and also 47 years is probably serving those concurrently. That means that if they somehow managed to prove innocence of the charge that got them life, they’ll still be locked up for 47 years, and vice versa. You can find people serving multiple life sentences. In the US, that means they need to be proven innocent of all of the charges, otherwise they’re still doing life.
This concept is more relevant for someone being convicted of multiple crimes not worth life sentences. If a guy is convicted of 3 crimes each worth 3 years, they might think it’s worth guaranteeing 3 years instead of maybe getting them in for 9.
Latest Answers