Is involuntary manslaughter a serious criminal offence?

The People urge that the reason involuntary manslaughter was excluded from the list of named serious felonies is that involuntary manslaughter can in some instances be punished as a misdemeanor. The People are mistaken. Involuntary manslaughter is always a felony, punishable only by imprisonment in the state prison (Pen.Code, 193, subd. (b); People v. Honeycutt (1977) 20 Cal.3d 150, 157, 141 Cal.Rptr. 698, 570 P.2d 1050.) Vehicular manslaughter (Pen.Code, 193, subd. (c)), which may be sentenced as a misdemeanor, is a separate and distinct crime from involuntary manslaughter. (See People v. Honeycutt, supra, 20 Cal.3d 150, 157, 141 Cal.Rptr. 698, 570 P.2d 1050.) We are not here concerned with vehicular manslaughter.

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