Crime and Punishment

[Frasier]

Doughnut thief faces prison term
Associated Press
Article Launched: 10/08/2007 05:59:06 AM PDT

FARMINGTON, Mo. - It's a hefty price for a pastry: A man accused of stealing a 52-cent doughnut could face time in jail.

Authorities said Scott A. Masters, 41, slipped the doughnut into his sweatshirt without paying, then pushed away a clerk who tried to stop him as he fled the store.

The push is being treated as minor assault, which transforms a misdemeanor shoplifting charge to a strong-armed robbery with a potential prison term of five to 15 years. Because he has a criminal history, prosecutors say they could seek 30 years.

"Strong-arm robbery? Over a doughnut? That's impossible," Masters told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from jail. He admitted that he took the pastry but denying touching the employee. "There's no way I would've pushed a woman over a doughnut."

Farmington Police Chief Rick Baker said state law treats the shoplifting and assault as forcibly stealing property. The amount of force and value of the property doesn't matter.

"It's not the doughnut," Baker said. "It's the assault."

Masters said he didn't even get to enjoy his ill-gotten gains: He threw the doughnut away as he fled.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingn...nclick_check=1

Stupid? Justified? Does it really make sense to send doughnut-thiefs to prison?
He pushed the woman... that's not okay, but 30 years or even 15? Do you think there is still a healthy relation between the crime and the punishment?

[Blackmask]

Australia was founded on crimes like that.

15 years does seem a bit extreme though for stealing a dough nut and possibly bumping or pushing even a sales assistant. I expect there's people who's done more serious crimes and not got that kind of penalty. Makes a bit of a mockery of the justice system.

[open32]

Its justified to charge him, it doesnt really matter what it was if the guy is stealing and especially if he is shoving employees.

The 15 years thing is just the max for strong-arm robbery (which it should be), thats what a judge and jury are there for, to assert the appropriate time based on specifics that cant possibly be written into the law.

[Wolf]

Originally Posted by open32

Its justified to charge him, it doesnt really matter what it was if the guy is stealing and especially if he is shoving employees.

The 15 years thing is just the max for strong-arm robbery (which it should be), thats what a judge and jury are there for, to assert the appropriate time based on specifics that cant possibly be written into the law.

And murderers can have a get-out-of-jail free card, because of courts throwing people in jail 15-20 years max for trivial crimes.

[Mónica]

OMFG I read about that incident some days ago. Just crazy, I couldn't believe it.

Ship him to Australia.

[Wolf]

We all see what criminals can do when given the chance.

[Frasier]

I think the story is just crazy!

When even a trivial theft (I am not talking about the attack on the employee) is punished with many years, it makes sense to use weapons/guns to kill the eye witnesses. Because then it doesn't matter if you are punished for that, aswell. You have nothing to loose, anymore.

I think there has to be a clear link between the crime and what you get for it. Not to mention that it is a waste of the tax payers money to send a doughnut ($ 1) thief to prison ($ 25000 per year).