Appeals court tosses life sentence for $15 theft

[TexasTowelie]

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana appeals court has tossed out the life sentence for a man convicted of grabbing $15 from a parked car.

Walter Johnson, 38, had three prior convictions when he was convicted for snatching the money from an SUV that turned out to be a "bait-vehicle" police were using to catch burglars. He was sentenced last year under a habitual offender statute mandating a life sentence for fourth-offenders.

"Thus, the sentence imposed on Mr. Johnson is 'legal' in the sense that it falls within the statutory range," Judge Paul Bonin said in the opinion for a three-judge panel of the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal.

"Despite its legality, however, we find the life-without-parole sentence imposed upon Mr. Johnson unconstitutionally excessive."

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/appeals-court-tosses-life-sentence-for-15-theft/408072826/

[True Dough]

1. Well, that's one way not to waste taxpayers' money

for decades. A $15 theft (even if it was his 4th on record) resulting in hundreds of thousands in expenditures to keep him in prison. How insane that would have been!

[TheDebbieDee]

2. $77K per year to detain one prisoner in Federal Prison...

And those were the stats that I found in 2009 for 2006!

To give a non-violent offender probation only costs several hundred $ per year, their record is expunged after successful completion of probation and the offender hopefully resumes a life in which he/she hasn't been traumatized by prison their prison experience!

[True Dough]

3. Interesting research, DebbieDee

I wish more people were aware of those cost differentials. It might help them to think differently, at least for some offenders.

[TheDebbieDee]

4. Here's a link to an Adam Ruins Everything episode about

the US Prison system - I think you would find it very interesting...

http://streamtuner.li/adam-ruins-everything-season-2-episode-9-adam-ruins-prison/