9.7 years equals how many months?

A man awaiting trial came to a pleas agreement where he would serve 9.7 years in jail. His lawyers, the DA, and the Judge all agreed to it, the agreement was entered in writing, and the judge pronounced the sentence in open court.
Only when he is incarcerated does anyone ask how many months his actual sentence is? His attorney says it should be 9 years and seven months, but the state is arguing it should be 9 years plus 7/10s of a year, which is a month and several days more.
You would think that after two hundred plus years, the Justice system would have these things ironed out.
It doesn't sound like that much of a difference unless you are the person being kept even one day extra or the children waiting to get their dad back after almost ten years.

I bet under 9.6 years so I lose either way :)

Why is this even a question? A year has 12 months not 10. So the fractional part of the year is 0.7 x 12 = 8.4 months.

If he wanted to serve 9 years and 7 months he should have said so.

Quote: billryan

...Only when he is incarcerated does anyone ask how many months his actual sentence is?...

What's the problem? Multiply 365 by .7 and he serves that many days following his 9th year. Where is it written that prison terms must be served in monthly increments?

Quote: rsactuary

Why is this even a question? A year has 12 months not 10. So the fractional part of the year is 0.7 x 12 = 8.4 months.

If he wanted to serve 9 years and 7 months he should have said so.
link to original post

Evidently, sentences normally are given in months, so the agreement to write it out as 9.7 years was unusual and subject to interpretation.

Quote: billryan

Quote: rsactuary

Why is this even a question? A year has 12 months not 10. So the fractional part of the year is 0.7 x 12 = 8.4 months.

If he wanted to serve 9 years and 7 months he should have said so.
link to original post

Evidently, sentences normally are given in months, so the agreement to write it out as 9.7 years was unusual and subject to interpretation.
link to original post

well let's just change our number system to base 12, then we won't have this issue.

Or Judges could stick to making their sentences in the proper format.