We last checked in with Oscar Pistorius back in October 2014. He had been found guilty of culpable homicide (in American terms, that’s akin to manslaughter) for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and sentenced to five years in prison. Considering some South African legal experts thought it was possible that Pistorius could have ended up with an even lighter sentence (like house arrest), five years sounded okay. Not great. I think the majority of us believed Pistorius should have gone away for much longer, and that the homicide of Reeva Steenkamp was not manslaughter but murder. Well, guess what? Prison officials have given notice that they believe Pistorius should be released and serve out the rest of his sentence with house arrest.

Prison officials have recommended that Oscar Pistorius, who killed his girlfriend, be released from prison Aug. 21 for good behavior after serving just 10 months and be moved to house arrest, the head of correctional services said on Monday. The news emerged the same day the country’s Supreme Court of Appeal announced the prosecution’s appeal against Pistorius’ acquittal on a murder charge for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp would be heard in November.

Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympic athlete, was found guilty of culpable homicide for shooting Steenkamp multiple times through a closed toilet door in his home in 2013. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Under South African law, he is eligible to be released under conditions after serving one-sixth of his sentence, which is 10 months in this case.

Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise said Monday that a prison committee recommended last week that Pistorius be released from the prison in Pretoria on Aug. 21, exactly 10 months after he was sentenced and meaning he will have served the minimum amount of jail time his sentence required. Modise said the committee made the recommendation on the basis of Pistorius’ good behavior in the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in the capital, Pretoria, where he has been incarcerated since Oct. 21.

“He’s behaving himself very well,” Modise said. “He hasn’t given us any problems.”

Correctional Services spokesman Manelisi Wolela said the exact conditions of Pistorius’ house arrest wouldn’t be made public. The prison’s parole board had not yet made the final decision to release Pistorius, and the world-famous runner must “keep behaving well” to be released, Modise said. If released, Pistorius would be under strict probation conditions and would be monitored, Modise said. He said authorities would consider allowing him to begin training again.

However, Pistorius will also again face the possibility of a minimum of 15 years in prison if a panel of judges at the Supreme Court of Appeal overturns the original decision in his murder trial and convicts him of murder. The court has not yet set an exact date for the start of the appeal, court registrar Paul Myburgh said, but it will be this November.

[From the Associated Press]

That is some interesting legal system you’ve got there, South Africa. Five year sentence and out in ten months? Granted, I’m sure some states in America (like California) offer those kinds of deals too, but not for violent offenses. While I don’t believe in mandatory-minimums for nonviolent offenses (like drugs), why isn’t there a bigger call for mandatory minimums for violent offenses. Even if you take the court’s verdict at face value – that Pistorius is basically guilty of homicidal negligence – why on earth would he be let out in 10 months? Ugh.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

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