Exact Answer: 10 Months – 11 Years
Manslaughter refers to the act of slaying i.e killing a human being. It is the unlawful killing of a person without any desire or intention to cause harm. Thus, manslaughter is done without any malice. However, manslaughter can also be classified under homicide but without the intention to kill and thus, in most cases lead to at least some jail time.
As in manslaughter, there is an absence of the intention to kill, the manslaughter charge is less serious than a murder charge. Manslaughter is mainly of 2 types voluntary and involuntary and the prison sentence of both would differ accordingly.
How Long Do You Get For Manslaughter?
| Conditions | Duration |
| Involuntary manslaughter | 10 – 16 Months |
| Voluntary manslaughter | 2 – 11 Years |
Manslaughter is not as serious as homicide or murder as manslaughter is done without malevolence. Thus, in layman’s language manslaughter can be best described as causing a person’s accidental health. However, as it results in someone’s death, one can be sent to jail on manslaughter charges.
A person who commits manslaughter can be an absent-minded driver as distinguished from a serial killer. Also, not all manslaughter might be committed with an absence of intention to kill. Mainly, manslaughter can be classified as voluntary manslaughter which is deliberate but not planned, and involuntary manslaughter.
The charges and penalties that are imposed on a person involved in committing voluntary manslaughter are more harsh and severe as compared to those levied for involuntary manslaughter as in case of involuntary manslaughter, one negligently causes the death of another person.
The basic or the base jail sentence for involuntary manslaughter ranges between 10 to 16 months which can get extended to as long as 11 years if the manslaughter was done voluntarily. Voluntary manslaughter could involve all those killing instances done with an act of reckless conduct.
It must also be noted, that the duration of a manslaughter sentence could differ from place to place and would also depend on the facts and circumstances of each case.
Why Do You Get So Long For Manslaughter?
Even though manslaughter is not considered at par as murder, the charges of manslaughter as not as grave as a murder charge. However, this does not mean that people convicted for manslaughter can get away quickly. Manslaughter charges are also harsh and conviction for the same can result in imprisonment.
The killing of a human being which is completely unintentional but has occurred due to one’s reckless act, negligence, or criminal activity is involuntary manslaughter. Some examples of involuntary kind of manslaughter are death by a person who was texting while driving, discharging a firearm, etc
On the other hand, voluntary manslaughter happens when a person intentionally kills another person in the heat of an argument which happens in reason to adequate provocation. Some examples of this type of manslaughter are killing a person in a sudden quarrel, etc. This is also referred to as first-degree manslaughter.
As voluntary manslaughter is more severe than the involuntary type, convicts of voluntary manslaughter have to face more time in prison as compared to a person who has committed involuntary manslaughter.
The sentence for voluntary manslaughter can be for 3, 4, 6, or 11 years in prison and can also be accompanied by fines and penalties. However, in the case of involuntary manslaughter, it can be for a few months like 11 to 16 months or more.
Conclusion
The duration of imprisonment for manslaughter would depend on the existence or non-existence of the intention to kill any other person. Each manslaughter charge could carry a different punishment depending on if the person is found guilty or not of the crime of manslaughter.
Mainly, the two forms of manslaughter are voluntary and involuntary. When a person committing manslaughter does not want the victim to die such a type of manslaughter is considered involuntary as it is the unintentional killing of a person.
The typical prison sentence for manslaughter can range between 1 – 11 years. However, the punishment for it is less than that of murder. The maximum sentence a judge can impose for manslaughter can even be imprisonment for life. Thus, one can conclude that a person can get any number of years for manslaughter depending on the seriousness of the crime committed.