Prison For Jesse Jackson Jr.

Former US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) was sentenced to 30 months in prison today for corruption regarding campaign donations. His wife was sentenced to one year.

The Jacksons will be allowed to serve their sentences one at a time, with Jackson Jr. going first, based on the wishes of the family as expressed by Dan Webb, an attorney for Sandi Jackson. Jackson Jr. will report to prison on or after Nov. 1, the judge said. In addition to the 2.5 years in prison, Jackson Jr. was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Sandi Jackson was ordered to serve 12 months of supervised release following her prison term.

The judge emphasized that Sandi Jackson was sentenced to exactly 12 months, not the year-and-a-day sentence that some criminals get. Defendants sentenced to a year or less cannot qualify for time off for good behavior in prison. But those sentenced to a year and a day can qualify, which means they may end up serving only about 10 months. Under this rule, Sandi Jackson must serve the full year. If Jackson Jr. earns time off for good behavior in prison, he would serve about 25.5 months.

The Jacksons were found guilty of using up to $750K in campaign donations for personal items such as travel and a $43K Rolex watch. Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned from Congress in February after disappearing from public view for a prolonged time that his family said had been spent being treated for chronic depression.