Derek Chauvin faces decades in prison, but he could serve far less

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will face sentencing in about eight weeks for his convictions in the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin faces decades in prison, but he could serve far less than the maximum sentence for each charge under Minnesota sentencing guidelines.

In Minnesota, second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Third-degree murder is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Second-degree manslaughter is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. But sentencing guidelines recommend less time for offenders with no criminal history, and also recommend they serve their sentences on multiple convictions concurrently. That means Chauvin would effectively only serve the sentence on the highest count. In Minnesota, inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentence behind bars and the remaining third of their sentence on supervised release.