Chauvin gets 21 years for violating Floyd’s rights

A federal judge added a few more years to Derek Chauvin’s sentence Thursday by sending him to prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights. The state already sentenced the former Minneapolis police officer to 22.5 years in state prison for killing Floyd in 2020, but he pleaded guilty to the new federal charge in exchange for being sent to a federal prison instead. The two sentences will be served in conjunction in federal prison. In state prison, he could have applied for parole after 15 years, but in federal prison, he will have to wait at least 17 years, if not longer. 

Why did he want to be in federal prison? The state placed Chauvin in a maximum security prison in Minnesota, but he has spent 23 hours a day isolated in his cell for his safety. His defense attorney said he might never be able to be with the general population in a Minnesota prison. He was a police officer in Minnesota for almost 20 years, and people he arrested are likely there, too. In a federal prison, he might be able to escape some notoriety.

Dig deeper: Listen to Leigh Jones in The World and Everything in It podcast on how prison ministries help with rehabilitation.