Homeless man gets 180 days for theft of candy bars

[Tony_FLADEM]

A homeless man was sentenced Wednesday to 180 days in the Marion County Jail for stealing Twix and Snickers candy bars worth about $2.

County Judge John Futch questioned him about getting a job or seeking help or getting food from the soup kitchen.

Futch wanted to know if he thought the crime was worth it.

Delvis Rodriguez-Ramos, 21, was already on probation for retail petty theft when the second crime occurred. On Wednesday, he appeared before the judge via video link from the jail and entered a guilty plea.

In addition to the jail term, Futch fined him $500 and told him his current six-month probation term could be violated.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20120829/ARTICLES/120829638/1422/news09?Title=Homeless-man-gets-180-days-for-theft-of-candy-bars-

[cali]

3. are you kidding? You see stealing 3 candybars as a life of crime?

I think this sentence is insanely out of proportion to the crime, and when white collar fuckwads steal billions and don't get jail time, this sort of inequity is outrageous.

Your post is self-righteous and fucked up, honey.

[cali]

10. look at the facts: He's 21. He evidently has no history of violence

Our prisons are overcrowded. People in prison often learn to become MORE violent- that's the environment. There is enough food for everyone but lots of people in this country don't have enough food. That's established fact. So you're a security guard. That doesn't make you an expert on jack. Jobs aren't that easy to come by for homeless people and many are mentally ill.

YOU don't belong here.

[cali]

19. He was on probation for stealing a few cans of food from WalMart

Get out of my cocoon? You don't know me. I've worked advocating for mentally ill prisoners, and that includes murderers. I've also been a Victims' Advocate in the State's Attorneys office.

Your pov is anything but reflective of the values we share here.

[HiPointDem]

25. on probation for retail petty theft for stealing some canned tunafish from walmart. again,

because he was hungry, according to him.

got 6 months in jail and a $500 fine.

yeah, i'm sure that will teach him a few lessons.

first: never confess.

second: never trust the authorities or the 'helping' professions.

[etherealtruth]

167. Your human compassion overwhelms

Your empathy astounds.

What kind of thought processes go into arriving at the conclusions you have reached. I am seriously curious. Most thinking human beings clearly understand that the theft of food by a homeless person that is hungry is not something that can be equated with theft for "fun and profit."

Jay walkers are committing a crime ... is your assumption that this will lead them into a life of breaking and entering?

Perhaps you may want to consider a different line of work ... your job has clearly perverted your humanity ... a pity

[jberryhill]

17. But, Cali... After all, one of them WAS a Twix bar

I mean, c'mon, those are pretty good.

If it was, like, Swedish Fish, you'd have something there.

[cali]

20. yeah, and the guy turned himself in the next day

gotta punish him for that bit of stupidity.

What are some people doing here?

[gopiscrap]

84. Thank you that is part of the problem of this country

fucking right wing radio and mindless tv and continual blathering by the pundit class has made this nation lacking any empathy or concern for their fellow human beings. If this continues we will begin to "eat" each other and descend into chaos and anarchy!

[obamanut2012]

71. Or Circus Peanuts

I mean, wtf?

[Ken Burch]

144. Or if he'd stolen the ones that say they're "Chocolaty", which means

that's NOT chocolate they're covered with.

[Live and Learn]

133. And his likelihood of ever finding a decent job is greatly diminished

by the fact that we have now branded him a criminal for life. These harsh punishments and lifetime penalties for petty crimes need to be ended.

[blueamy66]

72. There is enough food for everyone?

Did you really type that?

So, since my fiance has been on UNPAID medical leave for almost 3 months, where do you suppose he goes to get this food? In what car, as he cannot drive his company car. With what bus fare? With what money?

180 days for a few candy bars? The judge is an asshole.

[gopiscrap]

85. You're absolutely right

almost all judges are total fucking assholes..for example in my county even the lowest paid judge is paid 91K a year and the highest 174K at those levels these fuckers forget what it is like to go with out!!!

[blueamy66]

95. it's the power I think

they know that they hold your life in their creepy little hands

[FarPoint]

81. It's food....he was hungry....

So what.....no one should go hungry;

Hunger is not a crime...

[ZombieHorde]

104. I agree completely. nt

[Warpy]

130. Yes, I'm sure employers are lining up to hire a 21 year old homeless kid

who's on probation for petty theft.

This sentence is completely unreasonable and so, I'm afraid, are you.

[Ken Burch]

143. "Today he steals a candy bar...tomorrow he will steal a car"?

No, no, no...you did NOT just write that...

I stole some candy bars when I was a kid. Why haven't I ever stolen any cars? I should have, by your logic.

This kind of sentencing will end up leading to something like the Jimmy Wilson case in late 1950's Alabama...where an African-American man was sentenced to death(fortunately, the sentence was reversed after global pressure was brought)for stealing less than two dollars.

There's no way in hell anybody's property is worth doing this to a person.

And you don't know that he hadn't tried to get an honest job.

[Terra Alta]

158. it's hard to get a job

when you don't have a physical address.. this guy was/is HOMELESS, he did what he had to do to survive. At least in jail he will know where his next meal is coming from, and will have a place to lay his head at night. I just hope when he gets out, there is someone to help him get on his feet.

[gopiscrap]

82. Thank you I totally agree!!!

[coalition_unwilling]

4. I feel sad for you, that's for sure. - n/t

[darkangel218]

7. Well you shouldnt.

[coalition_unwilling]

13. Well, I always feel sad when I see a collection of cells that uses

oxygen and other natural resources and appears to emulate empathetic human life but is really only a simulacrum of same, i.e., a sociopath just like Romney and his ilk.

So, yes I should.

[darkangel218]

15. Youre just describing the thief, not me.

[coalition_unwilling]

18. Whatever you've got to tell yourself - n/t

[tabasco]

78. Your lack of mercy will fall back upon you

someday.

[gopiscrap]

86. Troll alert!

[Ken Burch]

146. the thief is just another human being like the rest of us.

There's no way that low-cost property is more important than giving your fellow humans a chance to live.

ANY of us, in dire straights, could have done that...even you...nobody's going to starve to death in the name of moral purity.

And in case you haven't noticed, we're in a recession, a recession that's being deliberately prolonged by the Republican-Industrial Complex in the name of rigging an election...you can't FIND jobs these days.

[Starry Messenger]

45. ++++

[SammyWinstonJack]

175. heh.

[coalition_unwilling]

178. Sometimes DU feels like this giant pinball machine. I just took a spin

over to Meta on a seemingly unrelated matter and found that my comment had sparked a heated debate in Meta. I successfully resisted the impulse to weigh in on the thread in Meta, thereby saving DU catastrophic implosion in a self-referential Ouroboros-type loop. However, might be worth your while to take a spin over to those parts, if you have the time and desire:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1240139250

[Major Nikon]

31. I bet you wouldn't have any problem being the one to tell Oliver no more porridge

Just sayin'

[sibelian]

38. "living a life of crime"...

stealing two candy bars...! are you even for real?

I think what you're looking at here is a life of homelessness. Meals and a roof over his head is likely what this guy was looking for. Nasty as being in jail is it's not necessarily as nasty as being alone on the street with no food and no roof.

[eqfan592]

59. Your entire thought process here makes no sense.

Every scrap of information we have says throwing people into prison does exactly the opposite of what we'd like it to. We need to concentrate on rehabilitation, not revenge and punishment. But we as a society are so obsessed with people "getting what they deserve" that we are basically biting off our collective noses to spite our faces.

[FarPoint]

83. I sense this is all deliberate baiting

by the noted antagonist. The " let's fuck with liberals" mode.

[zuzu98]

131. I wish more people thought the way you do.

But most people don't want to hear about evidence-based practices or what really works to avoid recidivism. They just want revenge.

btw, "biting off your nose to spite your face" was one of my late father's favorite expressions. I had to smile when I saw your post: it brought back many a lecture from my teen years...

[GeorgeGist]

65. He won't have to steal for 6 months.

[nadinbrzezinski]

75. I know, because we as a society could do much better

Last edited Sat Sep 1, 2012, 04:55 PM - Edit history (1)

[Spirochete]

106. Surely you have at least a twinge of regret

that they didn't taser him to death...

[Ken Burch]

145. So you'd have backed Inspector Javert in LES MISERABLES?

Christ...you ARE a "dark angel".

[coalition_unwilling]

179. Since you allude to Hugo, it is appropriate to cite Balzac's

famous statement that 'behind every great fortune lies a great crime' (loosely translated from memory).

In these days of Mitt, Hugo's words seem eerily prophetic.

[Marrah_G]

154. Ever notice how it's rarely the rich thieves that go to jail?

In fact they are rarely even charged. Instead they get a bail out and a huge bonus.

[GreenPartyVoter]

177. +1000!

[GreenPartyVoter]

176. He hadn't eaten in days. You do know that there aren't enough soup kitchens out there to

handle all the homeless and hungry, right?

Have a little compassion already.

[coalition_unwilling]

2. Oh, it is excellent to have a giant's power. But it is

tyrannous to use it like a giant.

Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

[midnight]

6. Our judges need to start serving in soup kitchens, and homeless shelters to start appreciating what

it's like to wait for food....

[darkangel218]

8. So you sugest he should just keep giving them probation and encurage them to steal

Wow.

[cali]

11. you putting word into another poster's mouth: Wow.

This guy went back to the store where he'd nicked the candy bars the next day and confessed to taking them. And fining a homeless guy 500 bucks? Yeah, that's appropriate. NOT

[darkangel218]

16. At 21 im pretty sure he couldve went back Home or stay with relatives, no need to be homeless

And confesing means nothing. Like I said, I see his like all the time, they're all sorry when they get caught.

[coalition_unwilling]

23. "couldve went" - poor grammar is often a hallmark of sloppy thought. Just a

thought.

http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000217.htm

[Major Nikon]

42. No more so than that of grammar trolls

Just sayin'

[coalition_unwilling]

68. Grammar troll in defense of

proper thought, I'll have you know

[Major Nikon]

98. Well, here's something to think about

Poor grammar is often the result of a poor education and disparately affects minorities and other disadvantaged people. I know lots of people with poor grammar who are quite intelligent. It may very well be that someone with poor grammar just isn't all that smart, but without knowing someone it's pretty hard to make those judgements. I just see it as bad form to suggest someone is stupid because their grammar is bad. You may see it differently.

[coalition_unwilling]

115. Oh, you'll get no disagreement from me in general terms. But let's consider

post #16 (the post in question) with its grammar for that specific instance corrected:

Original: "At 21 im pretty sure he couldve went back Home or stay with relatives, no need to be homeless"

Corrected for grammar: "At 21 im pretty sure he couldve (sic) gone back Home or stay with relatives, no need to be homeless."

Even had she used the past participle 'gone' correctly, the sentence would still sound and read as though this DUer were channeling her inner Sarah Palin, irrespective of the complete absence of empathy (which is hardly unique to Palin). I'm now referring to the dangling modifier, run-on sentence and comma splicing (but ignoring errors of punctuation) as indicative of sloppy thought, even with the past participle used correctly.

But your point is well taken.

[cali]

24. bwahahaha. more and more pathetic and disgusting.

You know fuck all about this guy. How the fuck do YOU know that he doesn't have an abusive family? Or no relatives to stay with? Or any number of other factors that could prevent such a thing?

No need to be homeless? Yes, it's all the fault of those who are homeless that they find themselves in that situation. Lazy fucks.

You see his like all the time? How do you know? You sure as shit don't, genius.

Your compassion is stunning.

[darkangel218]

30. I see his kind Every day, thats how i know!

There is help if he wanted a decent, honest lifestyle. But they don't! No one is forcing them to live on the streets, its their Choice. All hardcore criminals start with petit theft and work their way up. You're obviously not familiar at all with the justice system.

[HiPointDem]

35. in florida after two petty thefts the next one is booked as third degree grand theft, a felony,

that's why.

and once you have a felony conviction you're fucked for life.

there is no help if you want a decent, honest lifestyle and are poor. none.

[cali]

36. oh for fuck's sake. bzzzt.

I don't give a shit what you delusionally believe you see. There is no help for many, many people. It's called falling through the cracks and it happens multiple times a day in this country. Furthermore, it is utter and complete dog shit, dear, that all hardcore criminals start with PETTY theft. There is no such thing as "petit" theft- not in the English language anyway. Not that you are versed in writing said language.

I'm familiar with the so called justice system, having worked within it.

YOU, on the other hand... not to mention you lack even a scrap of compassion.

[blueamy66]

73. Well, being a security guard is pretty high up there in the justice system.

Right?

[cali]

74. oh, you can tell that that poster pissed the hell out of me?

[blueamy66]

76. just a little bit

I guess it's a she, from what I read.

It's just a waste of time and money to incarcerate a shoplifter, even if they were on probation. If the poster really did have a CJ degree - it's called a Justice Studies degree here at AZ State BTW - they would have studied this and come to a different conclusion.

I have a Justice Studies degree and cannot stand our prison system, our police force and the judges in the US. I believe the cops and judges to be power hungry, egotistical, holier than thou buttheads. I ask myself why I ever got the damn degree. Guess I had dreams of being a defense attorney.

Give 'em hell cali!

[gopiscrap]

89. Me too

[jmowreader]

138. "Petit" theft comes from the French,

The word is pronounced "petty," but criminal statutes list it as either "petit theft" or "petit larceny."

View the Idaho statute on theft:

http://legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title18/T18CH24SECT18-2407.htm

[cali]

140. its etymology aside

very few criminal statutes list it as petit theft. Type petit theft into google and you get petty theft.

more to the point is the disgusting heartlessness I was addressing.

[Gormy Cuss]

151. The etymology though reinforces the fact that it's a minor theft

not something that a sane society would consider worthy of six months in jail.

eta: if this were a 21 year old college student from a middle class family jail time wouldn't even be on the table. It'd be a fine and probation again.

[GObamaGO]

153. THIS

[FredisDead]

33. Your compassion is stunning

She has no compassion Cali.

[cali]

40. that is clear.

thankfully, she won't be posting in this thread anymore.

[HiPointDem]

26. he confessed BEFORE he got caught. his confession was WHY he got caught.

going back home = cuba. he's an immigrant.

possibly he came here because he thought he'd have a better life in our free, capitalist system.

[sibelian]

39. So you're just making stuff up now?

Whatever.

[FarPoint]

87. Maybe everyone on DU should place the antagonist

on IGNORE. Let him play with himself....and don't feed him since someone who is hungry has to earn their candy bar.

[gopiscrap]

90. I reported him/her as a troll

don't know if that will get anywhere...

[FarPoint]

94. We can only take a DU

leap of faith...........

Thank you.

[gollygee]

47. You're pretty sure, huh?

How do you know that was an option?

Is this the guy who went back and confessed? There was a story about a homless guy who stole a couple of candy bars and then went back to apologize. There should be some understanding about a poor, homeless, hungry person being desperate and stealing food. Obviously there is a problem that has to be addressed, but punishment isn't always the best way to handle a problem.

[quaker bill]

52. You have a vivid imagination, and few facts in hand

[IrishEyes]

93. Not everyone has a family to go to when they are in trouble.

Even when they are 21. I'm not arguing with you. I just wanted to point this out. Some people don't have living parents, siblings or other family members.

[Comrade Grumpy]

107. You don't know shit, do you?

I think you are in the wrong place.

[Gormy Cuss]

117. That's assuming he had a "back Home" or relatives who would put him up.

For example, an aged out foster child wouldn't have a family home and may not have any relatives who can or want to put him up. It's hard to tell what brought him to the point where he's stealing food from retail stores.

[Ken Burch]

149. "Confesing" is spelled with two "s's"

And where do you get off calling your fellow human beings "his like"? Also, where do you see them? Are you a prison guard or do you just enjoy hanging out at the county jail?

Jesus saw "his like" all the time, too...and he made some of them into his disciples. You'd have just turned them over to the centurions.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

184. You don't know that.

You can be "pretty sure" all you want. The fact remains that he is homeless. And he was not caught, he went and confessed. Big difference.

[datasuspect]

55. so you're fixated with punishment?

do you believe that rehabilitation of criminals is possible?

[midnight]

103. Poor people need to eat more than rich people need to hold up unfairly distributed laws.

[Ken Burch]

147. He should do what he can to help them GET jobs.

You can't demand morality from the starving.

[gopiscrap]

88. No kidding

most of them live a life of wealth and pampered priveledge

[Downwinder]

9. Using Arizona's prison contract figures

that will only cost taxpayers eleven thousand dollars.

[darkangel218]

22. Would you prefer be burglarized, raped and killed rather than support the correction system?

[Downwinder]

27. No, they pay me half of that to stay out of jail.

Think I'm selling out to cheap.

[cali]

28. bwahahaha. Yes, not jailing someone who stole a couple of candybars is sure to lead

to burglary, rape and murder.

I don't support our fucked up, horrendously inequitable prison system. It needs reform in the worst of ways.

[HiPointDem]

34. why don't you post the stats, then.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

70. Sure you do...

[zuzu98]

136. ooooh! A wanna-be cop who "works in the field"

Let me guess: you're a "loss-prevention officer" for Wal-Mart or a night security guard at a mall. You got a "CJ degree" but haven't been able to get on with any law enforcement agency (couldn't pass the written test maybe?). You just can't wait to get out there with a badge and a gun to take care of the "bad guys." You are a dime a dozen.

I've been a public defender for almost 22 years, pal. You have no fucking idea what you're talking about.

[Ken Burch]

150. Anybody who's hungry is capable of stealing food-you'd do the same.

Nobody would starve in the name of looking morally pure.

[GObamaGO]

155. So you know that "Justice" is served unequally to minorities and the lower classes.

[Rex]

183. Kewl story bro!

[gollygee]

48. We have to be more careful with where we spend our limited resources

If we put candy bar theives in prison, there's less space for rapists and the like and they end up getting released earlier. I don't buy at all that this makes us safer.

[GObamaGO]

156. +1,000,000

[Ken Burch]

148. We're going to be raped if this guy doesn't do hard time for stealing some freaking CANDY?

[Major Nikon]

29. Too bad it wasn't a Klondike bar

After his 180 days in the pokey he could go on a promotion tour for Klondike and earn enough money so he wouldn't be homeless anymore.

[GObamaGO]

157. DUzy!

[Angry Dragon]

37. Put him in the same cell as the bankers

that will teach him

[dkf]

41. This is sad...I don't think this guy has the first clue how to improve his situation.

It's too bad the judge couldn't have referred him to a program but I guess that was more of an option with the first offense.

[Major Nikon]

43. It sounds like he's probably severely retarded or mentally ill

The guy steals candy bars, then comes back the next day and admits it. This is not a guy who deserves to be in jail.

[dkf]

69. Or maybe he has a conscience.

I'm not seeing someone who is mentally ill, just someone really lost. 21 is still so young. Yes you can work but you really don't have life skills yet. Where are his parents?

[Major Nikon]

92. Stealing candy bars when you are hungry is something a child would do

So it seems to me this man has the mind of a child. According to the government, 20-25% of homeless people are severely mentally ill. It's anyone's guess how many are mentally retarded, but I'm guessing that number is significantly higher than the general population also. This man came back one day to admit what he'd done and then came back the next day when asked so the cops could pick him up. This is not someone who is playing with a full deck.

[secondwind]

44. Maybe this fella has mental issues? He sounds lost.

[tclambert]

46. Wow, imagine how much jail time he'd get for stealing millions or billions in a Ponzi scheme,

or wrecking the banking system by writing fraudulent mortgages, or stealing the pensions of hundreds of retirees.

[gollygee]

49. Exactly

It's like we're making it illegal to be poor. This sounds like Jean Valjean stealing a loaf of bread to me. Meanwhile we have people really stealing huge amounts of money, but either they find some loophole to make it appear legitimate, or even if they get caught they end up getting off with little to no time.

[HiPointDem]

97. exactly what is happening. look at the confluence of declining incomes, increasing police

state & surveillance, harsher justice measures, war on drugs & terror (used to e.g. crank down on protesters), for-profit privatized prisons & the new debtor society (student loans that can never be discharged, e.g.) along with laws that allow you to be jailed for debt --

looks like a big cluster fuck to me

[newspeak]

80. got it right

those who have stolen millions from people, have hurt thousands of people-why as the judge for milken said, "it's a waste to put such a "gifted" person in jail." Now if you steal a candy bar at the store, that's another story.

why does les miserable come to mind? If the young man went back to the store and confessed, I think, as a store manager, I would have considered some other option than calling the police on a minor theft.

what a clueless wonder the judge is, does he really think this person will even be able to afford 500? Or he's hoping he won't so he can get the poor riff raff off of the streets?

[jsr]

50. It was 5 years for Jean Valjean

for stealing a loaf of bread.

[reformist2]

57. Sadly, many people would be fine with that. "Lock 'em up!"

[appleannie1]

51. There are places the homeless can get food,shelters, food banks. This man has a history of theft.

[cali]

56. not always easy for the homeless

he may have language barriers. he may be mentally ill. And his terrible history of "theft", honey, is a prior for stealing a few cans of food a t WalMart.

Some of the comments that demonstrate some DUers callousness toward the poor and homeless, leave me shaking with anger.

[reformist2]

58. Then sentence him to report to a homeless shelter... not prison!

[eqfan592]

60. Many of which are full or run out of resources so often that many homeless don't bother to try.

Sorry, but your reasoning is fail.

[tabasco]

108. You live in such fear of candy bar thieves

that you would put them in jail?

I pity you.

[GObamaGO]

159. Stealing food because one is hungry

In my mind does not a criminal make. It is criminal that there are people in this country who find themselves homeless and hungry with so few choices that they must resort to stealing to eat.

[AnnaLee]

53. Plan B

All I know is that my husband's and my Plan B for retirement if all our pensions/SS/Medicare/etc. are stolen from us is to confess to an unsolved crime and get in off the streets. So far jails have to find something to do with old criminals who get cancer or have a stroke. They also have to at least half-way feed and shelter criminals.

Better deal than the Republicans seem to be offering 80+ year old x-workers.

My point - maybe this guy wants to get in off the street and hasn't really considered that jail might not be fun even if it offers food and shelter.

[Honeycombe8]

54. If you look at it one way, he will not be homeless for awhile. That's a good thing.

He may actually appreciate the opportunity to get off the streets and in a climate controlled environment and free meals for a while.

I mean this seriously. It could be a way for him to get himself together, while not having to worry about daily existence.

I wonder who turned him in for stealing candy bars? It probably says in the article, which I haven't read yet. I mean...who would bother with turning someone in for $2 candy bars? Maybe someone who has been robbed a lot. Maybe you reach a point where you say "no more," or the little thefts are so often that you are losing a lot of money.

I probably would've just told him I saw him, don't come back, and leave it at that. Unless he did it again. Maybe that's what happened. Or maybe the guy was brazen, like "what do you think you're gonna do about it that I steal from you? I take what I want."

[eqfan592]

61. After reading the story, I don't believe the thief was being brazen.

But who knows.

[alphafemale]

62. That will get him through the winter without starving or freezing to death. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

63. Sounds like Soapy in the O'Henry short story

"The Cop and the Anthem"

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7683652/The-Cop-and-the-Anthem-by-o-Henry

[alphafemale]

119. I was thinking of that exact story.

My favorite O'Henry story is probably The Last Leaf.

[Art_from_Ark]

162. The Last Leaf is not in my O'Henry anthology

I'm going to have to read it online somewhere

[alphafemale]

164. http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LasLea.shtml

[Art_from_Ark]

182. Thanks!

I'll take a look when I have some time

[aikoaiko]

64. At first I wasn't sympathetic, but after reading the article it is a sad case.

Its sad that our most accessible social services for this unfortunate young man may be jail.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

66. I think spending a week behind bars per year should be a requirement of every judge...

To keep their seat.

[slackmaster]

67. Candy bars are unhealthful. He'll get decent nutrition in jail.

[zuzu98]

134. no, he won't.

Most jails feed inmates for less than a couple bucks a day. If they're lucky they get one hot meal but in most places it's bologna sandwiches two or three times a day. The only things they can buy with their commissary money are usually candy bars and chips.

[backscatter712]

142. BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Have you ever eaten jail food?

Nutritious my ass...

[slackmaster]

165. No, I wasn't in there long enough to get a meal

Tell us about it.

[backscatter712]

171. Lovecraftian... n/t

[FarCenter]

77. Now he has a home for 180 days. Also food and clothing. Problem solved.

[blueamy66]

96. a home?

in jail? really? food?

JUST WOW

[Major Nikon]

99. Now he has lots of great role models too

Think of all the understanding and compassion he'll get there. I can see him now, sitting by the fire with a good book smoking his pipe while his meal is being prepared in the kitchen. Kinda warms the heart just thinking about it.

[blueamy66]

100. Yeah

The food in jails in inedible, there isn't much for rehab and the guards are f**kers.

Prison would be better for him....at least the food is okay and there is education available.

Sometimes the US just sux.

[marmar]

122. Wow. Just wow.

[GObamaGO]

160. Are you kidding me?

[Rex]

79. Well that judge sure showed that homeless man who is boss!

See, next time steal big - like a bankster - that way you won't be in front of a judge...just some lamos in Congress that you already bought off.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

91. For all the billions squandered on banksters, the war machine, and private prison systems, the money

could have otherwise been used to eradicate hunger in his country.

What are the odds that the corporate-connected politicians will ever make a serious effort to do so?

[HockeyMom]

101. In jail he will get 3 square meals a day

Besides which, it will cost a whole hell of lot more money than a $2 candy bar. My daughter has worked LP in supermarkets. She has seen a lot of very destitute people steal food, adult diapers, forumla, etc. The stores usually just warn them for the first time, and let them keep the food. They can WRITE IT OFF. In the case of the old man with the diapers, my daughter gave him the money to pay for the diapers.

The people at that store with a $2 candy bar had no heart. I know if I had been there I would have given that man $2 for a candy bar, and never set foot in a store that cheap.

[blueamy66]

111. Good post.

But the 3 squares a day in jail isn't always true.

Just an FYI......

In AZ, you get 2 shitty "meals" a day in jail. "Breakfast" is a grapefruit, a pack of crappy cookies, 2 pcs. of bread and some mystery meat...rumor has it that it's ostrich. "Dinner" is another pack of cookies, usually slapped in the middle of applesauce, some type of refried beans and another mystery "stew" of mystery crap. It's a great day when fruit is added.

People "bring" in salt and pepper in various places just to make the food "edible". A fast food packet of salt is sold for $1 inside. A single packet of kool-aid goes for $2 inside.

Not 3 squares.....2 shit meals....

But I guess that's better than starving to death.

[cali]

125. that and a side of rape and assault. Jail is NO place

for the homeless.

[burnsei sensei]

102. The judge could have made a work arrangement

which would enable the thief to pay restitution and support himself.
Hunger was the motive in both criminal actions; they were the acts of a man on the outside.
You don't alienate such people further, you find other ways of bringing them into the exchanges that make life possible.
And if he is indeed as criminal or as mentally ill as some would have it, at least society will find out.
But at 21?
Too early to judge, particularly if his record only has these 2 infractions on it.

[ZombieHorde]

105. Hopefully, his cell mates will give him some pointers on how to be a better thief. nt

[NashvilleLefty]

109. "3 hots and a cot"

I hope they have a training program he can take advantage of. It's a shame that American homeless have to commit a crime to get what they need.

[cali]

121. He is not going to get what he needs so stow the

"3 hots and a cot". If he's mentally ill, he won't get what he needs and he will likely be preyed upon. He will likely be preyed upon period. He may well be raped.

And we sure don't know that he did this to get thrown in prison.

[Ter]

110. Good

He's already a serial thief. One less trouble-maker off the streets. Would you want him around your stuff? I know I wouldn't.

[blueamy66]

113. Oh please.

What stuff? My candy bars? He can have them. And a can of Spaghettios and corn and refried beans. Hell, I'll cook him a meal and give him a shower.

A serial thief. Get a grip.

He's hungry. Get it?

[nadinbrzezinski]

114. Please read this serious anwer

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1250232

Your kindness by the way is noted. (Or should I say lack of it)

[cali]

120. I would give hin what I could. I would not mind him around my stuff. He stole two candy bars

and turned himself in. He had a prior for stealing some canned food from WalMart.

I don't fucking want the likes of YOU around here. It disgusts me to see comments like yours.

Heartless, pitiless. Go away.

[nadinbrzezinski]

112. This is what is shocking about this story

We have a man given time in the clink for stealing a couple candy bars.. ok, so far so good.

Then we have some people here applauding this.

I invite those posters to look into their local area. Ask some relevant questions.

1.- How many beds exist for your local homeless population at your local shelters? (For San Diego that is about 500 beds)

By the way, they are full, pretty much.

https://211sandiego.communityos.org/cms/shelter-bed-availability

2.- What is the estimated homeless population? (For San Diego we are talking 10K, I am rounding numbers here)

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/13/county-homeless-population-rises-86-percent/

Then I want you to ask another relevant question, if there are not enough beds do you think there are enough spots to feed these people? We may get "pleasure" from sending a man to jail over two candy bars, and giving him a $500.00 fine, good luck collecting... I mean that will teach him! But it reveals something dark in the country.

[DeSwiss]

116. And oddly.....

...that 180 days is still better than 25 years to life for stealing a slice of pizza.

[cali]

123. can you give me the actual link to the story

about the guy getting 25 to life? Which one is it?

[DeSwiss]

132. Here ya go:

http://articles.latimes.com/1995-03-03/local/me-38444_1_jerry-dewayne-williams

[cali]

139. I remember that story

(you'll be happy to know that he didn't spend 25 years in jail). Yes, the sentence was way out of proportion to the act, but the guy had extensive felony priors- drugs, auto theft, robbery. I believe he had 5 priors. Oth, I don't think the guy had ever acted violently and so to me the sentence for the pizza theft was obscene.

[U4ikLefty]

118. I challenge all you "lock him up" folks to spend a night on Skid Row here in

Downtown L.A.

You can find a spot on the sidewalk from 10pm to 6am.

Enjoy

[onecent]

124. Wow I've been in DU a long time and never seen such nasty

fucking people....where is the love????

Are we here just to fight and argue about STUPID SHIT????????????????

get a life.

[cali]

127. I'm sorry you think this is "stupid shit". I think it's a huge social problem

and emblematic of a society where the safety nets are increasingly tattered.

[marmar]

126. I don't know what's sadder, this story or some of the responses in the thread......

...... Sadly, it provides some insight into why the United States is such a punitive society.

[Nine]

135. +1

[lovuian]

128. Hey he gets free room and board and food to eat

You will see more and more people opting for prison life
medical care and that is where the homeless are headed prison

Do we have enough money to hold these poor people?

Republicans are fooling themselves ...they think they can walk away from the poor and not pay

but they will pay in the long run .....trying to educate and give people decent jobs and wages

would benefit them more...but their GREED is all consuming

we live in Dickens times

[CountAllVotes]

129. Conrad Murry gets 2 years

For involuntary manslaughter.

Justice is served NOT.

Maybe this poor guy will make up for the difference.

[lib2DaBone]

137. What did Fla Gov Rick Scott get for stealing $10 million from Medicare?

NOTHING..... he was elected Governor.

I would tell the candy thief to up his perspective.

[coalition_unwilling]

180. I never grow tired of citing Honore de Balzac: "Behind every great fortune

lies a great crime." (Loosely translated from ancient memory.)

[backscatter712]

141. Wow. Didn't take long for the authoritarian asshats to troll the fuck out of this thread. n/t

[woo me with science]

166. Welcome to the new DU! nt

[MrSlayer]

152. A new jail is better than living on the street.

It's frigging sad but for some people jail is a better option than freedom. He won't go hungry there, has access to regular showers, a roof, a bed and a toilet. All things you don't get on the street.

The richest country in the world and we have people going to jail to get off the street or to get health care.

[Prometheus Bound]

161. Who's the bigger asshole here: Judge John Fuck or Lawrence Bo-shit, the store employee.

Judge Fuck: his history of theft is stealing a can of food and now 2 candy bars, for which he turned himself in. SIX MONTHS??

Lawrence Shit, the store employee - The guy has the decency to return and apologize for stealing the $2 candy and he calls the cops????

Or it it the assholes that defend this ridiculous sentence, though to be fair, very few of the comments after the newspaper articles I read about it agree with this sentence.

[IDemo]

163. This thread has drawn in a number of people

who suffer from a sickening lack of empathy, or simply enjoy the juvenile trolling. Makes me want to

[etherealtruth]

168. !!!

It truly does sicken

[slackmaster]

170. The guy should be given a medal for stealing stuff

[IDemo]

174. Juvenile response

Nothing at all what I was suggesting, but you and everyone who read your response knew that.

[cali]

172. Me too. I feel so disheartened by the losing battle I fought in this thread

[woo me with science]

169. Disgusting, and an ominious sign of our future.

Our country is becoming more vicious and punitive, not less.

We will have more surveillance helping to fill many more prisons, now that locking up and enslaving human beings has become a profit opportunity for the rich.

Welcome to neoAmerica. This thread is a horrifying example of the downright viciousness that awaits all of us and our children as a result of standing by and allowing our government to be purchased by the rich who are eating us.

[limpyhobbler]

173. He should have stole billions as a bank executive instead.

It's more lucrative. gotta think bigger.

[backscatter712]

181. In Soviet Amerika, bank robs you! n/t