Here's What Life Behind Bars Could Be Like For Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump may not end up behind bars after he was found guilty last week on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, a surprise decision handed down by a panel of 12 Manhattanites.

But it’s possible.

Trump is currently expected to face sentencing on July 11, with each low-tier felony charge carrying a maximum penalty of four years behind bars.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan said at one point during Trump’s hush money trial that “the last thing” he wanted to do was to jail the defendant, nodding to the logistical headaches it would create for the incarceration system. But it was a comment he made while warning Trump against further violations of his gag order, which Trump disobeyed 10 times over the course of his hush money trial, resulting in a $1,000 fine for each incident.

Ultimately, Merchan told Trump that he was prepared to incarcerate him if he felt the law required it.

“At the end of the day, I have a job to do, and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the judicial system and compel respect,” the judge said on May 6.

Merchan could order any sentences to be served concurrently. In determining a sentence, judges are allowed to take into account an array of factors, including the defendant’s age, the nonviolent nature of the crime, and whether this was his first conviction — which, for Trump, it was. Of course, Trump’s complete and total lack of remorse could also influence Merchan’s decision.

Some legal observers, like Brookings Institution senior fellow Norm Eisen, believe there’s a good chance Trump is incarcerated for a period of less than one year.

“That’s not good news in Manhattan, because those sentences are served in jail, not state prison,