Bill Cosby is officially going to prison for up to ten years, and good riddance

In April, after two trials and a multitude of accusations, Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault. He was convicted on three counts of aggravated assault against former Temple University basketball administrator Andrea Constand, meaning that he could spend the rest of his life in prison. But the actual length of his prison sentence remained undetermined until his sentencing hearing. That hearing began on September 24th.

And now the sentence is in. Bill Cosby will go to jail for three to 10 years. Initially, the disgraced star was potentially going to face up to 30 years behind bars (10 years for each count), but the presiding judge, Steven O’Neill, decided to merge the incidents into one. However, O’Neill also classified Cosby as a “violent predator,” meaning jail time was certain (there was initially a possibility that Cosby wouldn’t face any jail time at all).

The sentencing also included a full victim’s statement from Constand, who wrote, “Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and he crushed it.”

Cosby opted not to speak before the sentencing, though he had the option.

Additionally, because he is now officially a “sexually violent predator,” he will be listed on a national registry and be made to undergo counseling for the rest of his life. He will also have to keep the state of Pennsylvania informed of any changes to his address or employment should he be released from prison in his lifetime.

Before Cosby’s sentencing hearing began, Constand tweeted a Bible verse about coping with anger.

We stand with Cosby’s accusers and hope they feel some small semblance of justice today.