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@HistoryBuff
do you significantly hold back in defending yourself (ie no punching or any other vigorous defense that could potentially kill) and make it easy for the other person to kill you, or do you do everything you can to stay alive and risk going to prison for decades?
On the other hand, do you just shoot someone who looks suspicious because you, "fear for your life"?
For example - - [LINK]
AND,
For instance, the federal law against voluntary manslaughter states that defendants should receive fines, a prison sentence of not more than ten years or both.
California's manslaughter law, on the other hand, gets a little more specific and states that anyone found guilty of manslaughter should receive a prison sentence of between three and 11 years.
In both instances, judges have some leeway to determine the specific sentence that they will give a particular defendant. This is where aggravating and mitigating factors come into play. [LINK]