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Paparddeli t1_iycovm1 wrote

Reply to comment by delcocait in Philly DA files motion to reconsider sentence for former officer convicted of voluntary manslaughter by redeyeblink

Honest question, how many voluntary manslaughter sentences are the average reddit users even aware of? People have no idea about this stuff, including probably you.

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delcocait t1_iycs3ha wrote

This was a legitimate question. Of course I don’t know how long a typical sentence for voluntary manslaughter is, that’s the point. It seems absurdly low.

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Krasmaniandevil t1_iyd1j8j wrote

https://pcs.la.psu.edu/research-data/interactive-data-portal/sentencing-conformity-report/

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Paparddeli t1_iydl9h2 wrote

Thank you - that exactly answers the question. So 1 out of 13 in 2019 were below the mitigated range, like this sentence. I would imagine most cases nationally where a cop is involved they would be far below the standard recommended sentence, assuming the state has guidelines.

Edit: also, Kim Potter the Minnesota cop who accidentally pulled a gun instead of a taser and was convicted of manslaughter got a very similar sentence to this one.

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Krasmaniandevil t1_iydtryk wrote

One limitation of the data is that it doesn't tell you the degree of the departure (i.e., 10% below the mitigated range vs. 80% below).

This deviation is pretty substantial, but it's important to realize that if the officer received a longer sentence that he would have had to go to a state facility instead of the Philadelphia jail. It's pretty common for judges to round down to 11.5-23 months to avoid sending someone upstate, which would be even more dangerous for a police officer.

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Paparddeli t1_iye0o29 wrote

Yes, that's definitely a key part of this sentence. Most people wouldn't realize that he got under 2 years so he could serve it in the county.

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libananahammock t1_iydb9t0 wrote

Everyone is posting links and sources claiming otherwise and yet here you are with nothing but playground taunts lol

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Paparddeli t1_iydn3zx wrote

Well look, I know that sentences below the guidelines aren't that rare. And I can surmise that that's especially true when there's a good reason for it (like the defendant having a really tough job where they are expected to maybe have to pull their gun and maybe shoot someone). The links posted elsewhere in this thread back that up.

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