"Twenty Years" or "Life"

We recently linked the following article on our Facebook page:

Zip City Woman Gets Twenty Years

One reader commented that she should have been given a life sentence. What would the difference be?

The difference is that she might actually be supervised for a shorter period of time if she had received a life sentence. Both sentences would bring eligibility for parole at around seven years. If paroled from a 20 year sentence, Hanback would then face 14 years of monthly supervision. How about "Life?" That would be a crap shoot. Since her crime was non-violent, her parole officer would have the discretion to ask to end the supervision after a few years.

That's the way the wonderful laws of Alabama work. The laws aren't fair in themselves and they are not administered fairly. Are other states better? We hear not always, but at least some of the time.



Shoalanda