Prison sentences usually last for a few months, years, or even decades. Still, some prisoners have gotten exceptionally lucky when it comes to prison sentences. In fact, there have been prison sentences that have lasted for less than one day.
It’s also important to note that these are jail sentences because prison usually has a minimum sentence of at least one year; people who are being held for court cases or less than 6 months are usually held in jail. While there have been many people who received the minimum sentence for prison, only two unique cases have resulted in less than an hour of jail time. It is also crucial to understand difference between Federal Crime and a State Crime.
Read on to learn more below.
The Shortest Jail/Prison Sentences
The shortest jail sentences are held by Joseph Munch and Shane Jenkins. Jenkins and Munch have the shortest jail sentences that have ever been recorded, and their length will surprise you.
Joseph Munch
Joseph Munch holds the record for the shortest prison sentence in the United States. Munch was arrested in Washington state in 1905. He was a soldier on leave and was picked up because he was drunk.
Initially, Munch was brought to the police station, and the judge decided that a 30-day jail sentence was what the crime warranted. The first sentence was given by Judge Gordon, and he ruled that Munch was drunk and disorderly.
While Munch was picked up and sentenced for his disorderly conduct, this wouldn’t stick. In fact, Munch’s case was taken to a higher court, and a new judge presided over the case – Judge Father. Father felt that the case did not warrant any punishment, so the initial sentence of 30 days was dropped.
Still, the judge felt that they had to do something, or it would generate negative press about the laws of Washington. Therefore, Munch was given a jail sentence of one minute. A guard watched the time tick on his watch and then let Munch out of jail.
Shane Jenkins
The second-shortest prison sentence is held by Shane Jenkins. Jenkins received a prison sentence that was only beaten by Munch. Still, Jenkins and Munch are the only people to have sentences that are less than one hour.
Jenkins was arrested in Britain, so he holds the record for Britain’s shortest prison sentence. Jenkins was picked up for damaging someone’s window with a broom. He initially threatened to break it with a brick, but he decided a broom would suffice and smashed it.
When police picked up Jenkins, he blamed his crime on drugs and alcohol. The judge was lenient with Jenkins and only sentenced him to 50 minutes in prison. While the sentence was short, there was a catch. For the duration of his time in prison, Jenkins had to write letters to the people his crime impacted. The letters were formal apologies for his behavior.
How to Find Someone’s Prison Sentence
Prison sentences are public records, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to find them. Anyone who’s been arrested and hasn’t had their case sealed can be looked up. While it’s a hassle to visit courts to look through court or arrest records, background check tools are designed to help you find someone’s criminal records.
The best background check tool to use to see someone’s prison sentence is Information.com. With Information.com’s criminal record reports, all you need is some of their basic information to get started. The user interface is also simple to use and won’t require much work. All you need is someone’s name, address, city, and state. It’s possible to find more with less information, but it’s best to have all these basics for the best results.
When you run a criminal background check on someone using Information.com, you’ll find more than their prison sentence. You’ll find the following information:
- Full name
- Address
- Social media profiles
- Dating profiles
- Criminal records
- Arrest Records
- Violations
- Driving records
- Spouses or family members
- Sex offender status
- Misdemeanor offenses
Depending on the person, you may find more or less information when you use Information.com.
Find Someone’s Prison Sentence Today
Prison sentences aren’t always easy to find when you don’t know where to look. People are also good at being secretive about things like a prison. That said, it’s possible to find someone’s sentencing information and you can use it to verify someone’s identity and to verify the reason that someone was arrested.
Information.com can be used to find this information, and it works well for individuals, small businesses, and even corporations.