Agreed, but the 7 years is not a guarantee. In one of the cases we studied in sentencing, some crafty lawyer tried to make the argument that except in cases of murder, no sentence should last longer than 20 years, since the offender would be out in 7 anyways. Supreme Court turned to the lawyer (who was defending a sex offender who had abused his own kids over an extended period of time and had been sentenced to 25 years) and pretty much said, "Just because he's eligible for parole in 7 years doesn't mean he's gonna get it," and reinstated the 25 year sentence. Loved that case.