Friday, 13 October 2006 00:52

Thousands of prison sentences in California are at stake

Thousands of prison sentences in California are at stake, in a case the Supreme Court has been hearing today. Lawyers for a man who sexually abused his son are appealing his prison sentence. They said he should've been sentenced to 12 years, rather than the 16 a judge handed him. The defense claimed the judge added time based on factors not considered by the jury. But California's deputy attorney general said the sentence is fine. He argued that state law is in line with recent Supreme Court rulings on sentencing guidelines. In fact, Chief Justice John Roberts told the defense lawyer that the California system "looks a lot like the federal system" after it was modified by the high court.