It just means that IF he manages to get found guilt, and that is a BIG if, he will not go into prison like you or I think of it. He will get some sort of special consideration as part of some sweetheart deal to be confined to house arrest in Mara-la-go except for “special supervised outings related to ex-president business”. Which will really just turn out to be whenever he wants to go somewhere.

So he will be convicted, but functionally it will only be on paper and just a technicality. All because no one is going to want to deal with the real world outcomes of an ex-president being sentenced to real hard time like not as well connected people.

But I will be shocked if they can find 12 jurors that a good lawyer on either side would not be able to argue are truly impartial to even have a valid trial to begin with.