Man gets 7 years for shoplifting of cheese

[msmith198025]

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/02/2575168/woodland-cheese-shoplifter-gets.html


A Yolo County judge on Monday sentenced a man who walked out of a store with a package of cheese in his trousers to seven years and eight months in prison.

Prosecutors had originally sought a life sentence for Robert Ferguson under the state's "three strikes" law. They dropped that bid last month, saying a psychological report had convinced them that a life sentence wasn't warranted.

At Monday's hearing, Deputy District Attorney Clinton Parish urged Judge Thomas Warriner to consider at least one of Ferguson's prior strikes – one for burglary and another for assault with a deadly weapon – and to sentence him to a lengthy term.

IF I ever have to go to jail for stealing, it damn sure wont be over a few bucks worth of cheese!

Strike Three! Youre out!

[Bob Haller]

should of put him on monitored release. have him live work etc, pay his own keep, and live leashed to his home,monitored constantly.

cost way less.

locked up the guy gets a free ride. free room and board.

our country can no longer afford to imprison so many, making them non productive costs.

at this point only violent criminals should be imprisoned

[wildbill129]

First off, this guy has a violent history. Your first strike has to be a violent one, and his case, it was assault with a deadly weapon. He got caught stealing cheese. He didn't get caught stealing lots of other things from other people, guaranteed.

We must still send non-violent criminals to prison. Crooks don't care about home electronic confinement, there is not enough probation and parole officers to monitor them. They continue their crime sprees monitored or not. What is the consequence if they violate their home monitoring? Nothing, more home monitoring. Already the revolving door is causing crime to rise. As soon as they are released from jail they re-offend, knowing their is no room for them and they can continue stealing cars, breaking into homes and cars, steeling from businesses, etc. There is a cost to this revolving door, insurance rates rise, food and other products cost more, and law enforcement spends all it's time chasing the same bad guys over and over again. Prison is not a deterrent for everyone, but it does keep the crooks from re-offending while they are there.

[Bob Haller]

with 13% of our entires countries population either in prison or on controlled release we cant lock everyone up.

at some point we must find another way or it will bankrupt our country

if they violate controlled release its to jail they go

[Bear Paws]

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/02/2575168/woodland-cheese-shoplifter-gets.html



IF I ever have to go to jail for stealing, it damn sure wont be over a few bucks worth of cheese!

Strike Three! Youre out! Depends how hungry you are I suppose. However I doubt you would have a BE and a assault against you as a prior. These guys know the 3 strike rule . I rather they strike out with a piece of cheese than killing someone.

[Bob Haller]

most americans fail to understand the costs of so much like lock up and toss away the key MUST be paid by taxpayers, and were on the way to national bankruptcy.

just like a family who gets insurance on everything to protect themselves. life home auto flood umbrealla collectibles nucke accident.

sure they feel safer but the premiums are so hiogh they cant afford food to eat....

[msmith198025]

So just let him go bob?

[msmith198025]

Depends how hungry you are I suppose. However I doubt you would have a BE and a assault against you as a prior. These guys know the 3 strike rule . I rather they strike out with a piece of cheese than killing someone.

Some of them know the three strike rule, some of them are just the way they are. We once had an employee that just couldnt help it. He would take whatever wasnt bolted down, here or elswhere. I recall a time he got caught stealing a bottle of 89 cent dish washing liquid from a local store. That is it, nothing else. Soap. lol

He said, "I just cant help it."

[Bob Haller]

So just let him go bob?

So how can we affortd to keep so masny locked up for petty theft? with the cost of locked up over 30 grand a year per person:(

release by day to WORK, return at night locked up?

Although lots of these kind are mentally ill and used to be housed in mental hospitals till they were closed to save money. So they live on the streets and turn to crime to eat........

public housing and welfare cant cost 30 grand a year:(

[Derwin0]

public housing and welfare cant cost 30 grand a year:(hmm...let' see...
Rent - easily half that. Then you add food and clothing into the mix. Easily reaches 30k.

Besides, did you miss the guy's priors? They weren't non-violent.

[msmith198025]

It wasnt JUST petty theft bob. As derwin said, look at his priors. They play a role into why he should be locked up

[Bear Paws]

So how can we affortd to keep so masny locked up for petty theft? with the cost of locked up over 30 grand a year per person:(

release by day to WORK, return at night locked up?

Although lots of these kind are mentally ill and used to be housed in mental hospitals till they were closed to save money. So they live on the streets and turn to crime to eat........

public housing and welfare cant cost 30 grand a year:( That's not why they closed those institutions Bob. It was the (your) Liberal bleeding hearts that thought it was not "fair". and decided it was wrong to lock up and take care of people who couldn't take care of themselves so they put them out to live on the street. Liberals decided it was mentally ill people's right not to take their medicine or take what they wanted, like cannabis, heroin, methadone, alcohol, etc. even if they can't really make a sound decision since, uh, their mentally ill. .

It was the LIBERALS that pushed for "deinstitutionalization", Many of the poor souls that were freed from those group homes have ended up as the entrenched "homeless" folks we see in every city.
The Conservatives were against deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. Liberal do-gooders bleeding hearts, as usual reacting to touchy feelings rather than facts and common sense and not foreseeing the unintended consequences of their ideology-driven ideas, ended up throwing people who had no ability to cope, straight out into the streets.
What the libs did was criminal.... again...Just like everything else the "great society" and their socialist successors did to our country but in particular to the minority groups from the blacks to the mentally ill.. .

Now they are at it again... For the sake of 20 million people without medical insurance they want to make certain the whole country is out on the street. The Liberal way of doing things is rather than elevate the poor they would rather lower the middle class.

[vurbano]

turn him lose in Iran