Here is an example of a manslaughter sentence in Phoenix, Arizona. People accused of DUI complain about the fact that, under the Arizona DUI sentencing laws, a judge can't give a first offender less than 45 days in jail for a conviction with an alcohol level of .20 or greater.
Well, here's the counterpoint to that. The maximum 16 year sentence for manslaughter.
Man gets 16 years in fatal DUI crash: "Judge Michael Kemp issued the maximum allowable sentence of 16 years after considering aggravating factors such as Vivas-Diaz's 0.24 percent blood-alcohol content at the time of the wreck, a level three times the 0.08 percent legal limit to operate a vehicle in Arizona."
Yeah, a 45 day sentence is rough, but the only difference between somebody who drives with a .240 alcohol content in Arizona and gets 45 days, versus somebody who gets 16 years is pure luck in not getting into a collision.
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