Sentenced to life imprisonment for trying to steal hedge clippers.

[Mihalik]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/06/us/lo...rnd/index.html

Exhibit 2827726 of the absurdity of the American justice system, the idiocy of zero tolerance policies, of 3 strike rules and the absence of social services or administrative punishments.

Fair Wayne Bryant, 62, was convicted in 1997 on one count of attempted simple burglary. In his appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Louisiana in 2018, his attorney, Peggy Sullivan, wrote that Bryant "contends that his life sentence is unconstitutionally harsh and excessive."

Last week, though, the state Supreme Court disagreed -- with five justices choosing to uphold the life sentence.
The lone dissenter in the decision was Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson, who wrote that "the sentence imposed is excessive and disproportionate to the offense the defendant committed."
Johnson is the only female and Black person on the court. The rest of the justices are White men.
The sentence is sanctioned under the habitual offender law, Johnson noted in her dissent, meaning that Bryant's previous criminal history supports the sentence.

Yes. The dude has a history of mostly petty theft. But even if the harshness of the sentence doesn't outrage you, it is also financially nonsensical.

Bryant was convicted in 1979 for attempted armed robbery, in 1987 for possession of stolen things, attempted forgery of a check worth $150 in 1989 and for simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling in 1992, all before his 1997 arrest for the failed attempt at stealing the hedge clippers.
But Johnson also mentioned the cost associated with Bryant's sentence, writing that in his 23 years in prison, he has cost Louisiana taxpayers over $500,000.
"If he lives another 20 years, Louisiana taxpayers will have paid almost one million dollars to punish Mr. Bryant for his failed effort to steal a set of hedge clippers," she wrote.

The man belongs in an institution, with his family, in a care home or whatever.

If we weigh the nature of the crimes committed, the damages involved and the amount of time this man spent in jail, the sheer ridiculousness of the situation becomes self evident.

[daytonbrown]

So how many 2nd chances should we give him? He's a career criminal and the streets are safer without him. Not losing any sleep over this one.

[draynay]

So how many 2nd chances should we give him? He's a career criminal and the streets are safer without him. Not losing any sleep over this one.

Oh yeah, gonna sleep soundly knowing a guy who couldn't even steal hedge clippers without getting caught isn't out there endangering the "streets".

[Templar 331]

I have almost no sympathy for a kleptomaniac. If this had been someone with nonviolent or marijuana offenses then I would see a problem with this.

[Mihalik]

So how many 2nd chances should we give him? He's a career criminal and the streets are safer without him. Not losing any sleep over this one.

First...I very much doubt he ever got a second chance considering that the American prison system has a rough rehabilitation rate of zero...that further being compounded of him being a black man in Louisiana.

Also his criminal career seems to be him mostly sucking at being a criminal.

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I have almost no sympathy for a kleptomaniac. If this had been someone with nonviolent or marijuana offenses then I would see a problem with this.

I'd just like to point out that kleptomania is a mental illness, aka an impulse control disorder that is typically manageable with anti depressants and therapy.

I don't think the guy has kleptomania. I think he just had a pretty shitty series of circumstances compounding his situation into the absurdity he ended up in.

[Edge-]

I mean, for with a largely non-violent history including a lot of petty theft...are folks alright with taxpayers spending a millions dollars to keep a guy who is largely responsible for petty theft worth maybe a few thousand dollars? Armed robbery ain't a joke, but that's the only violent crime on his record and it was from a decade before he was thrown in prison for life.

Strictly financially, it makes no sense to spend well over a million dollars on this. But maybe I'm more interested in rehabilitating people who have resorted to crime and scaling punishments to their offenses.

Sadly, we have garbage "three strikes" laws in CA still. The results...are kinda mixed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-...#United_States

[Queen of Hamsters]

The Americans changed the famous line to be "Get thee to a penitentiary!", it would seem.

[Templar 331]

First...I very much doubt he ever got a second chance considering that the American prison system has a rough rehabilitation rate of zero...that further being compounded of him being a black man in Louisiana.

Also his criminal career seems to be him mostly sucking at being a criminal.

Those are just the crimes he was caught doing. Who knows what else he has done.

I'd just like to point out that kleptomania is a mental illness, aka an impulse control disorder that is typically manageable with anti depressants and therapy.

I don't think the guy has kleptomania. I think he just had a pretty shitty series of circumstances compounding his situation into the absurdity he ended up in.

Situations like his are the reason for absurd punishments. A habitual offender doesn't seek rehabilitation. He was arrested not just once for stealing but multiple times. You can't blame the system for not informing him of his wrongdoings.

[Egomaniac]

So how many 2nd chances should we give him? He's a career criminal and the streets are safer without him. Not losing any sleep over this one.

So, Life in prison that has already cost the state half a million dollars and is on track to possibly cost another half million. All over a pair of hedge clippers. You think that's tax dollars being well spent?

Keeping murderers and other violent offenders locked up for life...that I can somewhat understand. But petty thieves?

At some point you have to do a cost/benefit analysis.

[RobertoCarlos]

Oh yeah, gonna sleep soundly knowing a guy who couldn't even steal hedge clippers without getting caught isn't out there endangering the "streets".

As someone who just had thier car and wallet with ID stolen, having your stuff stolen is a lot of emotional stress and it's annoying when cops don't give a shit about it. It is nice to see thieves actually being punished for once instead of community service.

[s_bushido]

Steal hundreds/thousands? Life in prison. Steal billions? Too big to fail.

[zhero]

how many things went unnoticed in his criminal career? we're not allowed to deport him or send him to a penal colony anymore, he isn't fit to live with the rest of society.

[ParanoiD84]

Not the brightest one because if you know the laws and still continue to commit crime knowing what would happen well then have fun I guess.

[Edge-]

Those are just the crimes he was caught doing. Who knows what else he has done.

People are only punished for the crimes they're convicted of, not the crimes they may have done but nobody knows about. What kind of nonsense is this?

Situations like his are the reason for absurd punishments. A habitual offender doesn't seek rehabilitation. He was arrested not just once for stealing but multiple times. You can't blame the system for not informing him of his wrongdoings.

Considering the US prison system isn't designed for rehabilitation especially once you're out, but rather on recidivisms needed to keep private prisons packed...is this remotely a surprise? The US prison system is an absolute crock of shit, and is not set up to benefit those incarcerated (rehabilitate them, get them training, help them back into society so that they don't re-offend) but rather around perpetual prisoners.

[josykay]

how many things went unnoticed in his criminal career? we're not allowed to deport him or send him to a penal colony anymore, he isn't fit to live with the rest of society.

Does not matter. A crime unnoticed was legally not comitted by hin.
Deportation... penal colony for pretty theft?
Yeah right... why not execution. He should know better. /s

[Ursus]

Steal hundreds/thousands? Life in prison. Steal billions? Too big to fail.

Reminds me of a J. Paul Getty quote: "If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem."

[smityx]

So how many 2nd chances should we give him? He's a career criminal and the streets are safer without him. Not losing any sleep over this one.

Thing is he's only been caught 3 times. What else has he done that he hasn't been caught for. I do agree the sentence is very harsh. Maybe needs to be a doubling of the basic sentence each time. If he ends up spending most of his life in prison because he keeps doing his thing after he's release each time then so be it. Recidivist at it's worst.

[Egomaniac]

As someone who just had thier car and wallet with ID stolen, having your stuff stolen is a lot of emotional stress and it's annoying when cops don't give a shit about it. It is nice to see thieves actually being punished for once instead of community service.

Sure, sucks when your shit gets stolen.

What's that got to do with a man getting life in prison over a petty crime?

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Thing is he's only been caught 3 times. What else has he done that he hasn't been caught for.

I'm sorry...when did we start sending people to prison for life because they might have done some other shit?

[s_bushido]

Man...I really wasn't expecting to be as disgusted by the thread itself as I was by its premise. MMO-C, always keeping you on your toes.

[Egomaniac]

Reminds me of a J. Paul Getty quote: "If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem."

Except now it's more like "If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the taxpayers problem."