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Josh Duggar won’t be leaving prison as early as he’d previously believed.
We do not get to say this often, but this is actual good news from the American justice system!
This isn’t just about the disgraced former reality star failing to weasel out of his sentence.
His release date has been pushed back.
Good news! Josh Duggar has a new, slightly later release date!
Josh Duggar is currently serving his 151-month prison sentence after receiving and possessing child sex-abuse material (CSAM).
Previously, he was expected to depart FCI Seagoville in Dallas, Texas on October 2, 2032.
That date has changed. And not, as Josh had clearly hoped, in his favor.
The Sun reports that Josh’s release date is now December 23, 2032.
As the report notes, this is not his first two-month adjustment.
Previously, Josh was actually expecting release from prison on August 12, 2032.
It is not yet clear what has prompted this delay.
But, in times like these when good news is so scarce, it is good to embrace welcome news when it comes along.
Also, he isn’t getting a new, free attorney
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the Constitutional right to an attorney. However, like most rights, there are some reasonable limits.
For example, the right to a court-appointed attorney applies in a criminal prosecution when you require a legal defense.
You may not receive a free attorney simply to sue your neighbor for their unsightly hedges.
In the case of Josh Duggar, he asked for a court-appointed attorney to continue to file endless appeals — seemingly to simply throw enough legal arguments at the wall in the hopes that something sticks.
The court opted to not give Josh a free attorney. A court-appointed attorney (per the SCOTUS case of Gideon vs Wainright) represents a defendant in the trial and on the first appeal, but not usually beyond that.
At first, Josh had the benefit of Jim Bob Duggar’s money and perhaps even some of his own. That, it seems, has run out.
There are many people incarcerated who do not deserve to be there, either because they are innocent or because their crimes do not warrant prison time.
Josh is not one of those people.
Could Josh still get out of prison early?
Josh Duggar’s conviction was not based upon a mistake. It’s not like he saved a pic from social media that turned out to be of a high schooler.
He took multiple steps to cover his tracks as he accessed video and photos of young, prepubescent girls being sexually abused.
Josh deserves his conviction. Anything that prolongs his sentence is a relief to millions who shudder at the idea of him returning home to his own daughters.
At this point, his most realistic hope would be for Jim Bob to go drop $1 million on a dinner at Mar-a-lago to buy a get-out-of-jail-free pass for his son.
This sort of quid-pro-quo has worked for other reality TV criminals. But at this point, it’s unclear if Jim Bob is willing to go the distance for his awful son.
