17 years for a life

Drunken teenagers who kicked a father to death are jailed for life

reads the headline.

But then, as we all know, life doesn't mean anything of the sort: 

He [the judge] said that Swellings, the gang’s ringleader known as “Swellhead”, of Crewe, would be jailed for a minimum of 17 years. Sorton, of Warrington, and Cunliffe, formerly of Warrington, will have to serve at least 15 and 12 years respectively before being considered for parole. 

So the leader will, if he behaves himself, be out by the time he is 36. In my book, that's getting away with murder.

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