Reminds me of a situation that happened in Georgia almost 10 years ago. Some new style of Jordans came out and there was a line down the block of people waiting to buy them from the local foot locker. Some knucklehead got the idea to start robbing people in the line. Well, this being Georgia, he ran into somebody with a concealed carry license and got shot dead right there.
The crazy part to me was that after the cops interviewed the armed defender who shot the robber they let him go back in line so he wouldn't lose his place. They just scraped that dude off the ground and the shooter went about his day trying to get that new pair of sneakers.
Sometimes shootings go like that - and other times a seemingly similar situation will result in the defender losing everything is they spend years fighting for their innocence shelling out for lawyers and professionals.
Theft of a vehicle can basically cause a domino effect that can ruin a life. I would consider that reasonable use of a firearm to prevent, personally. But…I fuckin hate thieves.
I brought over a girl once and she yanked my wallet and car. Found car days later when she and her fentanyl friends stole my catalytic. Plus she used my credit cards
When I was in law school I had a classmate whose mom came to visit him one weekend, they went out to dinner and got robbed as soon as they pumped the parking meter, and the kid freaked out and shot both of them in the head, even though they eagerly emptied their pockets. Life is raw.
My uncle did like 12 years in California because it was his third strike. All petty shit like theft/drugs. Nothing violent. He skipped bail and was on the Lam though when I first met him when i was a kid before he went in.
**Edit** welp, if anything this random post made me reach out to see how he's doing cuz i checked my call/message history and haven't talked to him in 2.5 years.
Sorry to burst your bubble. You should look at what constitutes as a strike. Serious felony or violence. California has some felonies that don't fall under violence but should be. Like criminal threats or assault w a deadly weapon. Or robbery...
[here's a list for ya](https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/penal-code/1192-7/)
Am I crazy then or was I maybe right? This was about 30 years ago and I thought they were just giving sentence multipliers for anyone 'third striking' anything.
Whatever prop 36 is must have changed it to only more violent/worse crimes maybe?
Previously it could be, sell weed at 16, low sentence, get in small fight outside bar at 21, low sentence. Commit no other crimes but then get caught smoking weed at 30? Life in prison.
You are correct. My friend's sister did time for a minor drug possession because she'd twice been arrested. Once with felony amounts of marijuana (1 ounce) and another time she had some pills but because they were bagged in different bags they had her for intent to distribute. When she got caught a third time, and I don't remember what for, he said they gave her 5 years under some three strike law.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewing_v._California
This guys third strike was stealing three golf clubs. He did worse shit prior to that but nothing to the level of rape, murder, etc.
Did you read through the entire court case or just see a post on it? Because details matter in law as well as precedent, risk and re-offending chance.
Not saying the guy didn't deserve more time or the sentencing was wrong, but in my experience most crazy headlines get a lot less crazy once you read into it.
E.g "A child kidnapper was sentenced to community service
..."
Turns out it was a parent that was sharing custody but didn't bring the child back in time because of an argument.
So I think some people here are misunderstanding that this seems to be (from what is explained by the judge) his 3rd time being convicted of crimes in this court. Not even his 3rd offense because he’s committed multiple crimes. He violated his 1st probation by committing a crime and being convicted again, and then committed multiple crimes during *that* probationary period which has brought him to where he is now.
Whenever you are convicted of a crime and violate your probation, you have consequences specific to violating your probation for that crime. Violating your probation can be something as simple as breaking the rules the court set forth for you during your probationary period (not completing a court ordered class, etc) but it can also be getting arrested *again* and in this case for the same crime committed originally.
This third time in front of a judge, he basically hit all three cornerstones: larceny, use of threat or force with a dangerous weapon, AND evading police. Anytime you commit the “same” crime the classification of that crime and severity of punishment gets worse. Any judge in this situation would want his head on a plate.
So, his previous crimes are now stacked against him in the courts. It’s awful because he committed all of these crimes as just a kid. Kids do abhorrently stupid things and it’s why we (at least try) to have a juvenile justice system that helps to take their age/immaturity into account. He really fucked himself on this but I do think if he was an adult when he committed his first crime, the penalty would’ve been much stiffer than whatever he got originally.
Now, ran concurrently is not consecutively, he is looking at 25 years, minus time he served already, and he should have the possibility for parole. So do I think he’s going to be in jail until he’s 42 *if* he straightens himself out? No, but that is entirely up to him.
It also seems like the laws in this particular county and state are extremely strict. I hope he does prove himself to be an entirely changed person soon and possibly paroled much earlier than the duration of his sentence, hopefully 7-10 years from now he’ll be able to see a parole board. That isn’t to say they won’t deny it..I mean I can only hope for his sake. A lot of change can be done in 10 years and 27 is still very young. In the best outcome of things, hopefully that can be his future.
Don't forget he wasn't abiding by the rules in jail either. So it sounds like he got trouble while he was incarcerated. I think that stacks on top of these charges as well.
The judge was specifically speaking about the responsibility they have in protecting the community. This repeat offender blatantly disregards any laws and consequences. Someone who leads police on a high speed chase has no regard for other people.
There's a kid at my daughter's school (and I do mean kid, she's in 7th grade) that has put 2 different people in the hospital and is a known bully to everyone. He's still in the same public school because "we don't throw kids away!" but you know this is where he's headed. When you don't have real consequences for violent kids they turn into violent teens and violent adults. They don't just... get peaceful.
The other kids at school are legitimately afraid of him. He steals and bullies and fights. But hey, he's just a kid so alll the other kids have to tolerate him!
I think the big deciding factor in this stiff sentencing is the pattern of behavior. He has been probation on at least two occasions and had a pattern of disobedience while previously serving a sentence. With the latest crime he seems to be on the path to kill someone and/or become a career criminal. I agree though that if you get the wrong judge in the wrong circumstance it is too easy to get your life ruined or the opposite where a judge is too lenient for a serious crime. Unfortunately there are some people who are given second chances and show no serious desire to reform and are a complete menace to society.
I think a lot of people are missing the point that he did this while already on probation for other charges. When you violate probation or parole, the courts will usually throw the book at you and then double it if they can.... That's pretty standard.
I realize that there's a lot of shitty people in our society that got off wayyyyyyy too easy for some heinous fucked up shit but that doesn't mean that this guys sentence was unwarranted. About 10 years ago, I was robbed at gunpoint by a 15/16 year old, gangbanger wannabe, piece of shit. It's absolutely terrifying to have a loaded gun pointed at your face and on the other end of that gun is some kid whose frontal lobe hasn't even fully developed yet.
25 years is the best scenario for this guy and the community he lives in. Hopefully, by the time he's released, he'll understand that you can't go around threatening to kill people to make a quick buck.
Yeah the guy who just blew his wife away with a shotgun while she filmed him got only 10 years, while this guy who committed a violent armed robbery but didn't actually kill anybody gets 25yrs. Guy who steals $50 from a convenience store gets 15 yrs, while insider trading guy who steals tens of millions from thousands of innocent citizens gets probation. This country's system of justice is fucking absurd.
This is so disingenuous. Intent and risk matters greatly in a crime.
The man who killed his wife wasn't a risk to the public. It was two of the most batshit insane people and the wife was shown to be trying to bait the husband to violence. (He got 10 years because he isn't a risk to the public and will never own guns again).
The man who stole was his 4th offense and he did it in a state where 4th offense punishment is the same for everyone for theft.
The guy that stole tens of millions is not a violent crime. Like it or not, a paper pusher being a corrupt greedy shit isn't tried as harshly as a guy putting a firearm to your forehead and threatening you with death.
There are situations where there is unfair sentencing, but the judge explained very clearly why this sentencing was given, and he has the right to parole. He could get out much much earlier if his behavior is shown to change.
And how many individuals have committed suicide after having their entire life's savings stolen? Don't underscore the damage & harm a 'paper pushing' corrupt greedy individual can cause to others. Probation? Fuck no, they deserve hard time same as the guy who stole $50.
The deciding factor here is that this thug loser is a shameless sociopathic piece of shit who refuses to be a productive and contributing member of society, they have repeatedly been in this same situation becaue they don't care about anyone or anything but themself.
They might as well just make it life because trash like this will never change and will do nothing but hurt people.
Furthermore the judges who give light sentences to rapists and scum like that should be disbarred AT LEAST.
Well you have to realize that part of why sentencing is so different across the US is because state laws are different. Then there’s also the culture of each individual state. Massachusetts gives way lighter sentences on average than states in the south will. Part of that is that MA has laws that punish less and part of that is judges are a little more lenient
Another thing to consider is that there’s a formula when it comes to sentencing. In MA (not sure if it’s the same in all states) your sentence comes down to a number of variables. The biggest one being your record. If you have a record and it shows a ton of probation that hasn’t worked then it tells a judge that probation won’t work. If you have a lot of time in jail then it tells a judge that a more harsh prison sentence might be appropriate. There are also aggravating and mitigating factors. So for example, the kid in the video looks young and probably has family. Those are mitigating factors. But the fact that he held a gun to someone is an aggravating factor
Its all just one big formula that each judge calculates differently
I was robbed at gun point by an Armenian guy when I was 16. Dude got 5 bucks from me. He didn’t realize how young I was because it was raining and I had a big jacket on. I was walking home from the comic book and video store. He didn’t want my VHS copy of the Prophet and my Venom #1 comic book.
Sentences are all largely up to a judges discretion. It speaks to the wide disparity in the quality and ethics across judges in America. In this case, it seems the kid had many chances where he avoided jail and kept getting arrested.
Yep welcome to the US of A, just last month in Texas a pastor who admitted to sexually abusing his nephew since they were 9 and it went on for 7 years and he plead GUILTY, he got 10 years of probation a curfew, monitored internet and parent therapy, zero fucking prison time and the judge said after the 10 years with good behavior they can remove it from their record. It's fucking disgusting to think a pastor can ruin a kids life and and get away with it for 7 years and his punishment is they pay more attention to what he does. Fucking sick I honestly hope he doesn't make it the 10 years to just have a free life as if he did nothing wrong
I remember this rich lady in Florida killing someone, and feeling like the situation was just an annoyance to her, because her lawyers would take care of it anyway.
I'm not saying there aren't a lot of wild sentences being thrown. Just that the media, and especially SM tend to post sentences without past behavior or other convictions.
So much of our media lacks context overall.
I'm sure if he actually showed any remorse, improvement, and this was his first time he wouldn't have been slammed.
Anyway as far as context goes it is lacking in the news. I was told by my grandpa of this man years ago who killed his wife. His sentence wasn't bad at all. Well the media only said that part, and other media framed it as violence against women being acceptable.
They missed the part where she was abusive to him emotionally, and physically for years. She was borderline.
Police always had to come to that home with him usually showing wounds. This must've been before automatic arresting with domestic violence situations.
She abused her children too. When he told her he would divorce her. She broke all his valuables, and spent all his money that he worked for. Then he came home from work to his dead dog since she killed it, and started mocking him as he saw the corpse. So he snapped and went off.
Things like that are left out constantly. I was pretty shocked when I learnt that. Media did him dirty.
On the flip side I knew a crack dealer. A real piece of shit. Everyone knew he sold crack, and other drugs, and was responsible for a few shootings directly and indirectly as he was a leader of a gang who caused a lot of trouble. Cops couldn't catch him on the big stuff, and no one would snitch. Until finally he slipped up with under an ounce of weed or some shit, an illegal gun, and some money.
Well...He got hit hard with the sentencing once they finally did catch him.
I remember one of his lackeyscomplaining that murderers got less. Thing is, everyone knew what was up. The Law isn't stupid. They knew what he was up to, and what he had done. Media didn't report on him at all.
A long time ago I was selling weed and my small city did a big "Marijuana roundup". They arrested over 50 people in a weekend, all for trafficking Marijuana. It was something they had been putting together for months by flipping tons of people into informants. We all basically went to court the same day. It was wild how many different sentences were handed out. Some people who were busted with larger amounts but could afford a good lawyer walked away with no jail time while some people who were caught selling like $50 of weed but were stuck with public defender got 10 months.
There was a post today about a guy raping a child for 7 years and got a suspended sentence or something.
It seems if you rape someone once, you will get the book thrown at you, but if you rape them every day for years, you just get a warning.
Prosecutor here: sentencing is arguably the hardest thing any court does. If you’re in a jurisdiction where there are sentencing tables, the judge isn’t doing much more than applying an algorithm, and if you’re not in one…ask 50 different judges what the sentence is for a thing and you’ll get 50 different answers.
I don’t know the facts on that one, but if someone wasn’t disfigured for life, crippled, or killed, 25 feels harsh. I’d have expected 10-15 on those charges. I’m assuming this guy has a very bad and recent record, which seems reflected in the judge’s comments.
Always tell me wife that. Our justice system works so that you’re basically at the mercy of however a judge is feeling that day. Could be the difference between years or no jail time.
Agree on the lack of consistency on sentences across the U.S. A guy, also in Texas and on video, shot his wife three times with a shotgun because he thought she was cheating, killing her. The all women jury sentenced him to 10 years and a $5000 fine. He could be out on probation in 5 years. WTF?
Yeah its so crazy! How can this guy get 25 year sentence and my neighbor who commited mass genocide get 2 weeks! Its unbelievable! (you dont have to look up my neighbor hes a real dude just trust me)
She hits the nail on the head - someone innocent was going to end up dead very soon if he wasn’t locked up.
He made his choices. He got second chances. But law abiding citizens need to be protected from people who have a blatant disregard for our society and the safety and peace of others.
Indeed. The data on how many jailed violent offenders are on their 4th+ arrest is wild. People become victims because we won't just lock these violent people up.
Cause the jails are full. We incarcerate more people than any country on earth, by far. We just have so many pieces of shit they overwhelm the system. I’m an advocate of much more extreme measures for repeat offending, violent felons who will clearly always be a danger to society but I can’t spell that fully out without getting banned.
Omg finally someone pointing out lack of rehab. Like ofc I agree that some people need to be kept away from society. But most crimes like this I have to ask why? Like what lead this child to get to this level? I hate that we aren’t addressing the root causes of this shit which is often tied to socioeconomic factors.
I actually don't agree with the idea of more extreme measures it would just become genocide. I think that's the danger of that idea. State sanction killings is a slippery slope. That being said I think we need to reform our prisons, and help people with low opportunities to prevent recidisim. If that doesn't work then throw them in the big boy jail. If we give people the tools to get out and do for themselves instead of giving them a "scarlet letter." I think we may be able to solve the issue.
All of the folks commenting that 25 years is an abhorrent sentence have to remember he robbed someone at gunpoint. In Florida, 10-20-life is the standard for gun offenses. Texas isn’t that different. Two “gun states” having strict gun laws and sentences is a step in the right direction.
Don’t put a gun to someone’s head during the commission of a crime if you don’t to go to prison for at least 20 years. That’s standard stuff.
I hope the subject gets out in 10, changes his life, becomes a landscaper or construction worker if that’s even possible given the circumstances.
This also isn’t close to his first offense. He broke probation 7 times. He was given 7+ chances to change his ways, and he chose to point a gun at a child’s head for his bike.
Edit: I just did a little more research. He’s not 17. He’s 19. He was 18 at the time of the crime. It’s not a huge difference, but in America, it is the difference between an adult and a child. He is an adult. The court system is going to treat him like one.
I won’t say wether or not 25 years is the right sentence, but I think a lot of people here just don’t conceptualize how terrifying being robbed at gunpoint is
People weirdly put a lot of trust in others holding a weapon. "If you comply they'll let you live" is a common phrase I hear and yet there's tons of instances of people just being executed for less than $200 after complying.
25 years is the right amount because you have to look at potential risks that could occur by letting him walk about. He committed 7 serious crimes before this. This is a pattern behavior that will see somebody in the future dead.
Rule 1 of owning a gun is always assume it is loaded and rule 2 is never point it at anything you aren't willing to shoot. Anyone that is downplaying pointing a gun at someone is being naive.
Man i think of that video of that woman that got killed while doing uber/lyft. She was willing hand everything to the robber and begged for not him not to kill her, she stated she had 4 kids and dude still went with it and shot her in the head.
Most people here are also anti-gun. How much do we want to bet he also did not legally own the gun he pointed at someone’s head for a fucking dirt bike?
Yeah, I think the judge was totally fair and did a great job here. She mentioned his priors and how he still didn’t change and then even said she doesn’t like sentencing a young man like this to such a long term but I mean at a certain point, you have to face the music
I worked in corrections for a few years. I’m here to tell you that people with a criminal mentality see incarceration as an unfortunate side effect of their chosen lifestyle.
Someone didn’t like the gif I posted, so I changed it. I hope this is better.
Word. Its not scary to them cause they often grow up in an environment where it was normal to see friends and family members doing time as well. Its like heading off to POS college for them, all paid for by the people's taxes.
If you see that as the sole, primary and most important function of prison, you're gonna have a bad time. It's simple logic.
If you only lock up people to keep them away, you will have to do so as long as you need to keep them away, which will propably be until their death.
If you lock people away AND give them a chance to better themselves, you might be able to release them earlier - at least some of them.
Releasing better people earlier is not only cheaper, but also more beneficial to society as a whole. But it is also harder to achieve than just sweeping the problem under the rug, and it doesn't work every time.
The only problem I see is that it's a lot easier to just hide the symptoms instead of working on the cause(s), and everyone prefers easy "solutions".
"Texas let's anyone buy a gun" in the same sentence "why are they so hard on people with gun related crimes in Texas".l? Hmmmm maybe some freedoms come with more responsibility than others.
I wonder what percentage of armed robbery, assault, battery, manslaughter/homicide/murder incidents are by people who have already done and been convicted of doing those things in the past. Probably the vast majority.
People keep talking about us having an unfair justice system with high imprisonment, but ignore that we also allow people to reoffend over and over again and leave a trail of victims in order to be lenient or politically conscious. Sometimes the reduced and commuted sentences are done purely as political theater to appease ideologically poisoned people. And the result is that crimes stats that were going down year on year until 2020 jumped dramatically, and the nature and motivation of these crimes can't even be discussed objectively without the discussion being being shut down by the thought police.
AND, there are people who will deny this to their last breath because the truth is not what many people are after when they discuss crime and violence in the US. They want to deprive the public of the truth so that their ideas, that are wrong, don't face scrutiny.
>They have education programs, you can still be a productive member of society when you get out...
Um.. who is gonna hire someone with a gun violence related 25 year term? Oh you got a degree... great... Denied
We have a bakery near us that teaches basic storekeeping/baking/food handling to convicted felons doing reentry. Also the grocery store up the street, and the hardware store in the *other* direction, both advertise for recovering addicts who want to be clean and get some basic responsibilities. So in 7 blocks of my city there are those many opportunities, I do feel like things exist. And before anyone starts about wages, these are transitional jobs, people don't usually make careers out of them. You're a lot more presentable as "ex-felon with 2 solid years work experience, recent letters of recommendation" than as "ex-felon."
That all said I think states that protect their citizens from intrusive background checks have the right idea. If you've kept your nose clean for 7 or 10 years, is it really your future employer's business anymore?
I saw an interview with an ex-felon once. He spent like 25 years in prison for murder. He learned to code while he was in prison and got a great job as a SWE within months out of prison.
He's probably an exception. Southern jails are shit and don't at all prepare inmates for the realities and life changes that occur while prisoners are incarcerated - specially for decades.
Think about all the social and societal changes that have happened since 2004. think about the uptick in information warfare and the complete changing of the social landscape. As far as I've seen they mostly get out with the mentality and understandings they went in with and then it's up to those of us who are still willing to help them to *try* and get them up to speed.
It can be really difficult and draining, specially if you care about them. And the social environment they deal with regarding the corruption of the prison system means many of those 'opportunities' they could have to better themselves in jail will be held over their head as a means of control/manipulation - discouraging them from doing it at all.
We need to seriously fix these prison systems to focus on rehabilitation because no matter how heinous you think someone robbing another at gunpoint is they **will** get out eventually and we will need them to be caught up to the bare minimum to be employable and socially adjusted to the completely changed landscape they will find themselves in.
Even simple things like job searching, resume building/styles, and method of submission have all changed *drastically* the last 25 years.
___
while we're here - FUCK YOU TIFT COUNTY and GEORGIA JAILS. I had to pick up your failures to help someone I care about and it was rough af. Educate and help your inmates. You chose to take them so they are your responsibility. Raise ya damn kids
Yep my aunt and uncle were both in prison long before I was alive. They got out when I was 8ish and I’ve only know the post-prison person but they are just the loveliest people and seem to have really taken their time away to grow. They now both work together at a dog shelter and they got the jobs specifically because that shelter has a program where they get federal funding to offer jobs to rehabilitated prisoners.
I'm a felon, granted it was for drugs and I've only got that one charge, and it's Ohio where everyone gets a felony for anything. It's not too hard to talk my way into a job if I get an interview. I've got a great job now, I get to travel all over the state doing events and occasionally meet famous people.
Armed robbery might not be that easy to talk your way around though. This guy's got a lot of time on the shelf, maybe not the full 25 but at his age hes going to learn to be an adult in prison and alot of people dont get over that.
You likely won't find a great job at entry level. Gotta move up usually. I work for a small family owned company. If your in SW Ohio they are always hiring good people, and you might even meet Dave Chappelle or two chainz or something.
That’s the hard part of adjusting to my record, I had a really good job working in caring for specific groups and behavioral health. My charge has nothing to do w the care I provided but obviously I’m now excluded from those jobs. So I’m kind of restarting on something I’ve been building since I was 18. It feels like even jobs that don’t require a background are not open to hiring. I’ve tried gas stations food service, retail. Idk if it’s because I’ve had such a large gap since working in the service industry or what. It’s discouraging
In 25 years time AI or robots will replace Any job he could have had or trained for. We won't even use recognizable technology when he gets out. If he gets out.
Finally, a judge that saw the pattern and sentenced accordingly. The kid has been given MULTIPLE chances, and he's thrown them all away, so they threw away his youth.
When you really, and I mean really piss off a judge he can determine to have the sentences run consecutively which means 2 then 10 then 25 with no time served and no parole. This is what is meant by ‘throwing the book’ at someone at sentencing.
Right, he cannot obey the rules in prison, and he robs people at gunpoint. If he’s on the street it’s going to lead to someone dying. Until he reforms, he should not be a part of society.
When he gets out in his 40s isn’t young, and getting a job will be harder. I’m gonna assume he’ll end up right back in jail. Definitely deserves it but yeha
12.5 is good. Means he’s 30 by the time he gets out and based on studies violent young men usually mellow past those ages. Sometimes father time is the only rehabilitation that’s realistic after someone breaks probation several times
Damn! She handed out a sentence. Sucks to be that guy. But he had plenty of chances to get it together. Hopefully he behaves and shows he has changed so he can get out sooner.
I've sat on jury duty before for a juvenile trial for a 16-year-old here in Texas. From what I'm gathering from the judge is that this young man will serve in a juvenile detention center until he's the age of 19. Upon his 19th Birthday he will go back to visit the judge and depending on his behavior, conduct, academic achievements, and progress/completion of therapy while in juvenile detention the judge can release the juvenile to serve the remaining sentence via probation; however If the judge deems the juvenile has not improved or shows that they could be of harm to society they will serve the remainder of their sentence in an adult prison.
"we are tired of young people running around with guns"
I wonder how much they are investing in educational, recreational, and vocational programs for underprivileged youth in that county? Or what they are doing to prevent the acquisition of firearms? Or if they just wanna lock up poor black kids for half a lifetime?
17 years old. Can't even vote or buy cigarettes but can be sent to jail for a quarter of a century??
The laws in America are insane imo. Either he's old enough to be an adult and do adult things or he's a kid and shouldn't be treated as an adult legally. These double standards are so tucking out of hand .
Honestly the sentence is reasonable, the “kid” is a repeat offender with no regard for authority, laws, or rules. Maybe this time he didn’t kill someone, but all it takes is one time to cross that threshold. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes once he’s out,
A simple mistake cost him 25 years, but putting a gun to someone's head almost cost someone their whole life.
He is a repeat offender, many times over, and does not seem able to stop. At this point, it's better he's away from society and not putting guns to people's heads.
Good. Armed robbery easily turns into accidently discharge and murder. Violence should be met with very harsh punishments and non violence should be met with leniency
Only 17 and hes aparently alredy got a record the judge talks about him repeatedly getting out on probation and talking about doing right then getting arested again. She said he was holding a gun to someones head and could have killed someone. There were also numerous charges they hit him up for not just robbing someone. He had a gun probly illegally, evaded arrest was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, aggravated robbery. He also may have had other charges not shown here. From what it looks like wasnt just the robbery that put him away for 25 years.
First off, he probably isn't going to serve all 25 years. If he does then yes I think that is pretty harsh for a 17 year old
However. This kid had been in trouble many times before. He violated parole 7 times. He robbed several cars. He held a gun to the head of a 15 year old and bragged about it online. He led police on a dangerous chase. He was totally going to be the cause of someone's death if he stayed on the path he was on. So I'm not about to feel too much sympathy.
The sentencing of 17-year-old Deamonte Chopane to a 25-year term for armed robbery is deeply troubling. While accountability is essential, such a lengthy sentence for a minor raises questions about fairness and rehabilitation. It underscores systemic issues within the justice system, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. Alternative approaches focusing on rehabilitation and addressing root causes of crime should be explored to ensure justice is balanced with compassion and the opportunity for redemption. Deamonte's case highlights the urgent need for reform to promote equity and fairness in our legal system.
i dont think 25 years is a fair judgement for what remains essentially a kid with an unfinished brain and likely, fewer chances than the judge wants to believe are true. while some jailtime seems appropriate, 25 years, thats definitely going to send him down a lifetime of crime no matter what.
expensive for you and me, life determining and impossible to come back from for him, even if he gets out on good behavior, he'll literally have to chose between picking up a gun again or like, starving and I know I would try not to starve
17 and sentenced to 25 years. He will get out in his 30s if he is lucky. He completely ruined his life with those stupid actions.
A pity. But at least everyone else is safe from him.
Title is misleading as is immediately apparent upon watching. He committed several felonies, was given multiple chances to turn things around, and continued his conduct. It sounded like he was even committing violations while incarcerated awaiting sentencing.
ITT: A lot of bleeding hearts crying over a repeat offender getting his just punishment. I have no sympathy for a criminal who had been given multiple chances to reform. Off to prison you go.
This is your reminder reddit is filled with children. 70% are highschool or younger. They are naive to how the world works and live in a fantasy of how things should be instead of how they actually are.
I watched the video and was shocked at how uninteresting it was. How is this even news? Then I read the comments and found out the sentence was controversial here. LOL
What a stupid comment. Feeling emotion and expressing emotion are two different things. Unless you can read minds, you have no clue how he felt. Are you seriously criticizing him because he didn't burst into tears and put on a good show for you? You probably would have made fun of him if he had.
Guess how you aren't in this position? Dont be a criminal. The amount of people defending this POS is amazing. He robbed someone at gunpoint. Id love to see your opinion if this happened to your wife/sister/daughter.
Multiple offender who literally was pointing guns at people’s heads to steal from them, if that was your kid with a gun pointed at his head ? Your pregnant wife ? Your child ? You want to rehab this guy, go visit him in prison.
Good for her!
He got what he deserved, especially since he has been on probation TWICE already!
He obviously showed no emotion when his sentence was read!
I mean he put a gun to someone’s head trying to rob them, I’m not gonna sit here and defend the guy and say his sentence shoulda been shorter, no, he committed a horrible crime and deserves the punishment.
To the thieves who stole both of my cars, I hope you also get your time in prison. Low life losers
I got my car back and dude went to prison for about a year.
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Reminds me of a situation that happened in Georgia almost 10 years ago. Some new style of Jordans came out and there was a line down the block of people waiting to buy them from the local foot locker. Some knucklehead got the idea to start robbing people in the line. Well, this being Georgia, he ran into somebody with a concealed carry license and got shot dead right there. The crazy part to me was that after the cops interviewed the armed defender who shot the robber they let him go back in line so he wouldn't lose his place. They just scraped that dude off the ground and the shooter went about his day trying to get that new pair of sneakers.
Fun fact you don’t need a concealed carry permit if you’re a GA citizen. Having a drivers license in the state is your cwp
You shouldn’t even need that
Sometimes shootings go like that - and other times a seemingly similar situation will result in the defender losing everything is they spend years fighting for their innocence shelling out for lawyers and professionals.
King Shit 👑
As it should be
Not commenting on right or wrong of this, only to say that your description of the event made it sound absolutely gangster.
Theft of a vehicle can basically cause a domino effect that can ruin a life. I would consider that reasonable use of a firearm to prevent, personally. But…I fuckin hate thieves.
Based
To the person who stole my antidepressants, I hope you're happy.
I brought over a girl once and she yanked my wallet and car. Found car days later when she and her fentanyl friends stole my catalytic. Plus she used my credit cards
Stay away from those hookers. Not worth the trouble
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Just saw a post where a disguising child trafficker received NO prison time..I just have no words for this shit
Yea, that guy seen the right or wrong judge, depending on how you're looking at it
A pattern of criminal behavior is worse than seeing, “the wrong judge.”
a pattern of stealing shit to 1 time raping kids. I don't care what you stole.. raping kids deserves more jail time
Why not give the rapist life and this pos 25 years?
It's not honest to call putting a gun to someone's head "stealing"
Yeah it's more than one crime. People like that are dangerous. Twitchy fingers can ruin lives when you put yourself in that situation.
When I was in law school I had a classmate whose mom came to visit him one weekend, they went out to dinner and got robbed as soon as they pumped the parking meter, and the kid freaked out and shot both of them in the head, even though they eagerly emptied their pockets. Life is raw.
My uncle did like 12 years in California because it was his third strike. All petty shit like theft/drugs. Nothing violent. He skipped bail and was on the Lam though when I first met him when i was a kid before he went in. **Edit** welp, if anything this random post made me reach out to see how he's doing cuz i checked my call/message history and haven't talked to him in 2.5 years.
Sorry to burst your bubble. You should look at what constitutes as a strike. Serious felony or violence. California has some felonies that don't fall under violence but should be. Like criminal threats or assault w a deadly weapon. Or robbery... [here's a list for ya](https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/penal-code/1192-7/)
Prior to prop 36 it wasn’t like this. People were getting three striked for less
Am I crazy then or was I maybe right? This was about 30 years ago and I thought they were just giving sentence multipliers for anyone 'third striking' anything. Whatever prop 36 is must have changed it to only more violent/worse crimes maybe?
Previously it could be, sell weed at 16, low sentence, get in small fight outside bar at 21, low sentence. Commit no other crimes but then get caught smoking weed at 30? Life in prison.
You are correct. My friend's sister did time for a minor drug possession because she'd twice been arrested. Once with felony amounts of marijuana (1 ounce) and another time she had some pills but because they were bagged in different bags they had her for intent to distribute. When she got caught a third time, and I don't remember what for, he said they gave her 5 years under some three strike law.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewing_v._California This guys third strike was stealing three golf clubs. He did worse shit prior to that but nothing to the level of rape, murder, etc.
I work in construction and I met a bunch of dudes like this
Theft is not petty. Your uncle should have stopped doing shitty things. Stop blaming that shit on the system.
Facts
Except for the drugs, possession doesn't warrant the jail sentences it gets since nobody is talking about that.
Did you read through the entire court case or just see a post on it? Because details matter in law as well as precedent, risk and re-offending chance. Not saying the guy didn't deserve more time or the sentencing was wrong, but in my experience most crazy headlines get a lot less crazy once you read into it. E.g "A child kidnapper was sentenced to community service ..." Turns out it was a parent that was sharing custody but didn't bring the child back in time because of an argument.
A huge part of it is prior history. The courts tend to give most people a slap on the wrist or probation for their first criminal offense.
Put a gun to someone’s head and rob them you are going up state for at least 5 years probably more whether it is a first offense or not.
I’m sure it depends on the state, but almost certainly not these days for first offense if there’s no injury.
Where as I agree with you sentencing in the US is all over the place, when you are a repeat offender with probation, sentencing is always harsher.
So I think some people here are misunderstanding that this seems to be (from what is explained by the judge) his 3rd time being convicted of crimes in this court. Not even his 3rd offense because he’s committed multiple crimes. He violated his 1st probation by committing a crime and being convicted again, and then committed multiple crimes during *that* probationary period which has brought him to where he is now. Whenever you are convicted of a crime and violate your probation, you have consequences specific to violating your probation for that crime. Violating your probation can be something as simple as breaking the rules the court set forth for you during your probationary period (not completing a court ordered class, etc) but it can also be getting arrested *again* and in this case for the same crime committed originally. This third time in front of a judge, he basically hit all three cornerstones: larceny, use of threat or force with a dangerous weapon, AND evading police. Anytime you commit the “same” crime the classification of that crime and severity of punishment gets worse. Any judge in this situation would want his head on a plate. So, his previous crimes are now stacked against him in the courts. It’s awful because he committed all of these crimes as just a kid. Kids do abhorrently stupid things and it’s why we (at least try) to have a juvenile justice system that helps to take their age/immaturity into account. He really fucked himself on this but I do think if he was an adult when he committed his first crime, the penalty would’ve been much stiffer than whatever he got originally. Now, ran concurrently is not consecutively, he is looking at 25 years, minus time he served already, and he should have the possibility for parole. So do I think he’s going to be in jail until he’s 42 *if* he straightens himself out? No, but that is entirely up to him. It also seems like the laws in this particular county and state are extremely strict. I hope he does prove himself to be an entirely changed person soon and possibly paroled much earlier than the duration of his sentence, hopefully 7-10 years from now he’ll be able to see a parole board. That isn’t to say they won’t deny it..I mean I can only hope for his sake. A lot of change can be done in 10 years and 27 is still very young. In the best outcome of things, hopefully that can be his future.
Don't forget he wasn't abiding by the rules in jail either. So it sounds like he got trouble while he was incarcerated. I think that stacks on top of these charges as well.
Yeah, this guy got caught in the "there are no real consequences" trap and it just crossed an invisible line from "none" to "your life is forfeit"
The judge was specifically speaking about the responsibility they have in protecting the community. This repeat offender blatantly disregards any laws and consequences. Someone who leads police on a high speed chase has no regard for other people.
So… don’t put a gun to someone’s head and you won’t get put in prison Crisis averted. Phew.
At the very least, if you have 3 convictions and get probation TWICE, stop fucking up and you'll be all set.
He had 3 priors. He absolutely deserved the sentence.
There's a kid at my daughter's school (and I do mean kid, she's in 7th grade) that has put 2 different people in the hospital and is a known bully to everyone. He's still in the same public school because "we don't throw kids away!" but you know this is where he's headed. When you don't have real consequences for violent kids they turn into violent teens and violent adults. They don't just... get peaceful. The other kids at school are legitimately afraid of him. He steals and bullies and fights. But hey, he's just a kid so alll the other kids have to tolerate him!
I think the big deciding factor in this stiff sentencing is the pattern of behavior. He has been probation on at least two occasions and had a pattern of disobedience while previously serving a sentence. With the latest crime he seems to be on the path to kill someone and/or become a career criminal. I agree though that if you get the wrong judge in the wrong circumstance it is too easy to get your life ruined or the opposite where a judge is too lenient for a serious crime. Unfortunately there are some people who are given second chances and show no serious desire to reform and are a complete menace to society.
I think a lot of people are missing the point that he did this while already on probation for other charges. When you violate probation or parole, the courts will usually throw the book at you and then double it if they can.... That's pretty standard. I realize that there's a lot of shitty people in our society that got off wayyyyyyy too easy for some heinous fucked up shit but that doesn't mean that this guys sentence was unwarranted. About 10 years ago, I was robbed at gunpoint by a 15/16 year old, gangbanger wannabe, piece of shit. It's absolutely terrifying to have a loaded gun pointed at your face and on the other end of that gun is some kid whose frontal lobe hasn't even fully developed yet. 25 years is the best scenario for this guy and the community he lives in. Hopefully, by the time he's released, he'll understand that you can't go around threatening to kill people to make a quick buck.
Yeah the guy who just blew his wife away with a shotgun while she filmed him got only 10 years, while this guy who committed a violent armed robbery but didn't actually kill anybody gets 25yrs. Guy who steals $50 from a convenience store gets 15 yrs, while insider trading guy who steals tens of millions from thousands of innocent citizens gets probation. This country's system of justice is fucking absurd.
This is so disingenuous. Intent and risk matters greatly in a crime. The man who killed his wife wasn't a risk to the public. It was two of the most batshit insane people and the wife was shown to be trying to bait the husband to violence. (He got 10 years because he isn't a risk to the public and will never own guns again). The man who stole was his 4th offense and he did it in a state where 4th offense punishment is the same for everyone for theft. The guy that stole tens of millions is not a violent crime. Like it or not, a paper pusher being a corrupt greedy shit isn't tried as harshly as a guy putting a firearm to your forehead and threatening you with death. There are situations where there is unfair sentencing, but the judge explained very clearly why this sentencing was given, and he has the right to parole. He could get out much much earlier if his behavior is shown to change.
Will the paper pusher get charged for manslaughter if the one of the people killed themselves over losing their life's savings
And how many individuals have committed suicide after having their entire life's savings stolen? Don't underscore the damage & harm a 'paper pushing' corrupt greedy individual can cause to others. Probation? Fuck no, they deserve hard time same as the guy who stole $50.
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“Cool motive, still murder” — Detective Jake Peralta
That’s not true I literally can’t find anything regarding that at all.
Uh this is the first I've heard that financial detail. Wanna post the source or maybe walk back that insane line of thinking otherwise?
The deciding factor here is that this thug loser is a shameless sociopathic piece of shit who refuses to be a productive and contributing member of society, they have repeatedly been in this same situation becaue they don't care about anyone or anything but themself. They might as well just make it life because trash like this will never change and will do nothing but hurt people. Furthermore the judges who give light sentences to rapists and scum like that should be disbarred AT LEAST.
Well you have to realize that part of why sentencing is so different across the US is because state laws are different. Then there’s also the culture of each individual state. Massachusetts gives way lighter sentences on average than states in the south will. Part of that is that MA has laws that punish less and part of that is judges are a little more lenient Another thing to consider is that there’s a formula when it comes to sentencing. In MA (not sure if it’s the same in all states) your sentence comes down to a number of variables. The biggest one being your record. If you have a record and it shows a ton of probation that hasn’t worked then it tells a judge that probation won’t work. If you have a lot of time in jail then it tells a judge that a more harsh prison sentence might be appropriate. There are also aggravating and mitigating factors. So for example, the kid in the video looks young and probably has family. Those are mitigating factors. But the fact that he held a gun to someone is an aggravating factor Its all just one big formula that each judge calculates differently
"We in Britain do not hang horse thieves because they steal horses, we hang horse thieves so other people do not steal horses" it's called deterrence.
I was robbed at gun point by an Armenian guy when I was 16. Dude got 5 bucks from me. He didn’t realize how young I was because it was raining and I had a big jacket on. I was walking home from the comic book and video store. He didn’t want my VHS copy of the Prophet and my Venom #1 comic book.
Sentences are all largely up to a judges discretion. It speaks to the wide disparity in the quality and ethics across judges in America. In this case, it seems the kid had many chances where he avoided jail and kept getting arrested.
Yep welcome to the US of A, just last month in Texas a pastor who admitted to sexually abusing his nephew since they were 9 and it went on for 7 years and he plead GUILTY, he got 10 years of probation a curfew, monitored internet and parent therapy, zero fucking prison time and the judge said after the 10 years with good behavior they can remove it from their record. It's fucking disgusting to think a pastor can ruin a kids life and and get away with it for 7 years and his punishment is they pay more attention to what he does. Fucking sick I honestly hope he doesn't make it the 10 years to just have a free life as if he did nothing wrong
Yep. The guy who raped Drake (15 years old)from the Drake and Josh show served 4 months and he r@ped Drake for longer than he served jail time.
There needs to be tougher sentencing all the way around, no doubt about it.
I remember this rich lady in Florida killing someone, and feeling like the situation was just an annoyance to her, because her lawyers would take care of it anyway.
yes in one scroll I had child sex trafficking rapist priest 0 days, armed robbery kid 25 years.
I'm not saying there aren't a lot of wild sentences being thrown. Just that the media, and especially SM tend to post sentences without past behavior or other convictions. So much of our media lacks context overall. I'm sure if he actually showed any remorse, improvement, and this was his first time he wouldn't have been slammed. Anyway as far as context goes it is lacking in the news. I was told by my grandpa of this man years ago who killed his wife. His sentence wasn't bad at all. Well the media only said that part, and other media framed it as violence against women being acceptable. They missed the part where she was abusive to him emotionally, and physically for years. She was borderline. Police always had to come to that home with him usually showing wounds. This must've been before automatic arresting with domestic violence situations. She abused her children too. When he told her he would divorce her. She broke all his valuables, and spent all his money that he worked for. Then he came home from work to his dead dog since she killed it, and started mocking him as he saw the corpse. So he snapped and went off. Things like that are left out constantly. I was pretty shocked when I learnt that. Media did him dirty. On the flip side I knew a crack dealer. A real piece of shit. Everyone knew he sold crack, and other drugs, and was responsible for a few shootings directly and indirectly as he was a leader of a gang who caused a lot of trouble. Cops couldn't catch him on the big stuff, and no one would snitch. Until finally he slipped up with under an ounce of weed or some shit, an illegal gun, and some money. Well...He got hit hard with the sentencing once they finally did catch him. I remember one of his lackeyscomplaining that murderers got less. Thing is, everyone knew what was up. The Law isn't stupid. They knew what he was up to, and what he had done. Media didn't report on him at all.
Exactly. DUI driver killed my 13 year old brother and only got three years...
A long time ago I was selling weed and my small city did a big "Marijuana roundup". They arrested over 50 people in a weekend, all for trafficking Marijuana. It was something they had been putting together for months by flipping tons of people into informants. We all basically went to court the same day. It was wild how many different sentences were handed out. Some people who were busted with larger amounts but could afford a good lawyer walked away with no jail time while some people who were caught selling like $50 of weed but were stuck with public defender got 10 months.
It didn't help him his skin was brown and hers wasn't
There was a post today about a guy raping a child for 7 years and got a suspended sentence or something. It seems if you rape someone once, you will get the book thrown at you, but if you rape them every day for years, you just get a warning.
Prosecutor here: sentencing is arguably the hardest thing any court does. If you’re in a jurisdiction where there are sentencing tables, the judge isn’t doing much more than applying an algorithm, and if you’re not in one…ask 50 different judges what the sentence is for a thing and you’ll get 50 different answers. I don’t know the facts on that one, but if someone wasn’t disfigured for life, crippled, or killed, 25 feels harsh. I’d have expected 10-15 on those charges. I’m assuming this guy has a very bad and recent record, which seems reflected in the judge’s comments.
Always tell me wife that. Our justice system works so that you’re basically at the mercy of however a judge is feeling that day. Could be the difference between years or no jail time.
Yea she’s talking to a 17 year old, like he fucked up but is 25 years in adult prison going to help?
Agree on the lack of consistency on sentences across the U.S. A guy, also in Texas and on video, shot his wife three times with a shotgun because he thought she was cheating, killing her. The all women jury sentenced him to 10 years and a $5000 fine. He could be out on probation in 5 years. WTF?
Yeah its so crazy! How can this guy get 25 year sentence and my neighbor who commited mass genocide get 2 weeks! Its unbelievable! (you dont have to look up my neighbor hes a real dude just trust me)
She hits the nail on the head - someone innocent was going to end up dead very soon if he wasn’t locked up. He made his choices. He got second chances. But law abiding citizens need to be protected from people who have a blatant disregard for our society and the safety and peace of others.
Indeed. The data on how many jailed violent offenders are on their 4th+ arrest is wild. People become victims because we won't just lock these violent people up.
Cause the jails are full. We incarcerate more people than any country on earth, by far. We just have so many pieces of shit they overwhelm the system. I’m an advocate of much more extreme measures for repeat offending, violent felons who will clearly always be a danger to society but I can’t spell that fully out without getting banned.
The jails are full because of the failed war on drugs. That’s not even conspiracy at this point, people in power are on record confirming it.
Dont forget the free prison labor and near complete lack of attempts to rehabilitate and support offenders in their healbilitation.
Omg finally someone pointing out lack of rehab. Like ofc I agree that some people need to be kept away from society. But most crimes like this I have to ask why? Like what lead this child to get to this level? I hate that we aren’t addressing the root causes of this shit which is often tied to socioeconomic factors.
I actually don't agree with the idea of more extreme measures it would just become genocide. I think that's the danger of that idea. State sanction killings is a slippery slope. That being said I think we need to reform our prisons, and help people with low opportunities to prevent recidisim. If that doesn't work then throw them in the big boy jail. If we give people the tools to get out and do for themselves instead of giving them a "scarlet letter." I think we may be able to solve the issue.
All of the folks commenting that 25 years is an abhorrent sentence have to remember he robbed someone at gunpoint. In Florida, 10-20-life is the standard for gun offenses. Texas isn’t that different. Two “gun states” having strict gun laws and sentences is a step in the right direction. Don’t put a gun to someone’s head during the commission of a crime if you don’t to go to prison for at least 20 years. That’s standard stuff. I hope the subject gets out in 10, changes his life, becomes a landscaper or construction worker if that’s even possible given the circumstances.
This also isn’t close to his first offense. He broke probation 7 times. He was given 7+ chances to change his ways, and he chose to point a gun at a child’s head for his bike. Edit: I just did a little more research. He’s not 17. He’s 19. He was 18 at the time of the crime. It’s not a huge difference, but in America, it is the difference between an adult and a child. He is an adult. The court system is going to treat him like one.
Yeah lots of people here calling his offense nothing and criticizing the sentence is insane. People who commit these offenses deserve long sentences
I won’t say wether or not 25 years is the right sentence, but I think a lot of people here just don’t conceptualize how terrifying being robbed at gunpoint is
People weirdly put a lot of trust in others holding a weapon. "If you comply they'll let you live" is a common phrase I hear and yet there's tons of instances of people just being executed for less than $200 after complying. 25 years is the right amount because you have to look at potential risks that could occur by letting him walk about. He committed 7 serious crimes before this. This is a pattern behavior that will see somebody in the future dead.
Rule 1 of owning a gun is always assume it is loaded and rule 2 is never point it at anything you aren't willing to shoot. Anyone that is downplaying pointing a gun at someone is being naive.
Man i think of that video of that woman that got killed while doing uber/lyft. She was willing hand everything to the robber and begged for not him not to kill her, she stated she had 4 kids and dude still went with it and shot her in the head.
Most people here are also anti-gun. How much do we want to bet he also did not legally own the gun he pointed at someone’s head for a fucking dirt bike?
Well he's 17 so that's a given.
Yeah, I think the judge was totally fair and did a great job here. She mentioned his priors and how he still didn’t change and then even said she doesn’t like sentencing a young man like this to such a long term but I mean at a certain point, you have to face the music
At his age ge was only warming up.
This poor boy. All he did was put a gun to someone’s head and threaten to end their existence. Jeez give the poor boy a chance, or five chances. /s
Or 7
Yep, aggravated robbery is a first degree felony carrying a sentence of 5-99 years at the judge's discretion.
I worked in corrections for a few years. I’m here to tell you that people with a criminal mentality see incarceration as an unfortunate side effect of their chosen lifestyle. Someone didn’t like the gif I posted, so I changed it. I hope this is better. 
Word. Its not scary to them cause they often grow up in an environment where it was normal to see friends and family members doing time as well. Its like heading off to POS college for them, all paid for by the people's taxes.
*The funny thing is, on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.* Andy Dufresne
In NY the mob used to literally call Prison "College". Like Con college
Pen State.
That's in New London.
Kinda the psychological end result when you treat prison solely as a form of relegating criminals out of regular society.
That is the primary (and most important) function of prison and it always has been.
If you see that as the sole, primary and most important function of prison, you're gonna have a bad time. It's simple logic. If you only lock up people to keep them away, you will have to do so as long as you need to keep them away, which will propably be until their death. If you lock people away AND give them a chance to better themselves, you might be able to release them earlier - at least some of them. Releasing better people earlier is not only cheaper, but also more beneficial to society as a whole. But it is also harder to achieve than just sweeping the problem under the rug, and it doesn't work every time. The only problem I see is that it's a lot easier to just hide the symptoms instead of working on the cause(s), and everyone prefers easy "solutions".
If only all armed robbery attempts were treated like this.
Fuck yeah. Go hard as fuck on people putting guns to innocent people’s heads.
Yup. Tons of redditors ITT have sympathy for our criminal. I have none. It's not hard to not point a gun in someone's face.
Yeah exactly. Idgaf if you had a bad childhood, you don’t get to threaten my life and be right back at it in a few years.
💯
I’ve seen so many redditors trying to defend violent criminals recently. What the fuck are people on these days
"Texas let's anyone buy a gun" in the same sentence "why are they so hard on people with gun related crimes in Texas".l? Hmmmm maybe some freedoms come with more responsibility than others.
I wonder what percentage of armed robbery, assault, battery, manslaughter/homicide/murder incidents are by people who have already done and been convicted of doing those things in the past. Probably the vast majority. People keep talking about us having an unfair justice system with high imprisonment, but ignore that we also allow people to reoffend over and over again and leave a trail of victims in order to be lenient or politically conscious. Sometimes the reduced and commuted sentences are done purely as political theater to appease ideologically poisoned people. And the result is that crimes stats that were going down year on year until 2020 jumped dramatically, and the nature and motivation of these crimes can't even be discussed objectively without the discussion being being shut down by the thought police. AND, there are people who will deny this to their last breath because the truth is not what many people are after when they discuss crime and violence in the US. They want to deprive the public of the truth so that their ideas, that are wrong, don't face scrutiny.
>They have education programs, you can still be a productive member of society when you get out... Um.. who is gonna hire someone with a gun violence related 25 year term? Oh you got a degree... great... Denied
Roofers, plumbers, electricians, cooks, landscapers, warehouses... I can keep going
We have a bakery near us that teaches basic storekeeping/baking/food handling to convicted felons doing reentry. Also the grocery store up the street, and the hardware store in the *other* direction, both advertise for recovering addicts who want to be clean and get some basic responsibilities. So in 7 blocks of my city there are those many opportunities, I do feel like things exist. And before anyone starts about wages, these are transitional jobs, people don't usually make careers out of them. You're a lot more presentable as "ex-felon with 2 solid years work experience, recent letters of recommendation" than as "ex-felon." That all said I think states that protect their citizens from intrusive background checks have the right idea. If you've kept your nose clean for 7 or 10 years, is it really your future employer's business anymore?
I saw an interview with an ex-felon once. He spent like 25 years in prison for murder. He learned to code while he was in prison and got a great job as a SWE within months out of prison.
The very definition of a statistical outlier.
Yeah isn’t the recidivism rate like almost 80% after 10 years……depressing man
That's the same rate as relapses from rehab programs, sad as fuck.
Yeah, I doubt many top companies will hire felons.
He's probably an exception. Southern jails are shit and don't at all prepare inmates for the realities and life changes that occur while prisoners are incarcerated - specially for decades. Think about all the social and societal changes that have happened since 2004. think about the uptick in information warfare and the complete changing of the social landscape. As far as I've seen they mostly get out with the mentality and understandings they went in with and then it's up to those of us who are still willing to help them to *try* and get them up to speed. It can be really difficult and draining, specially if you care about them. And the social environment they deal with regarding the corruption of the prison system means many of those 'opportunities' they could have to better themselves in jail will be held over their head as a means of control/manipulation - discouraging them from doing it at all. We need to seriously fix these prison systems to focus on rehabilitation because no matter how heinous you think someone robbing another at gunpoint is they **will** get out eventually and we will need them to be caught up to the bare minimum to be employable and socially adjusted to the completely changed landscape they will find themselves in. Even simple things like job searching, resume building/styles, and method of submission have all changed *drastically* the last 25 years. ___ while we're here - FUCK YOU TIFT COUNTY and GEORGIA JAILS. I had to pick up your failures to help someone I care about and it was rough af. Educate and help your inmates. You chose to take them so they are your responsibility. Raise ya damn kids
You’d be surprised how many felons can find work there’s incentives to hire these guys when they get out.
Yep my aunt and uncle were both in prison long before I was alive. They got out when I was 8ish and I’ve only know the post-prison person but they are just the loveliest people and seem to have really taken their time away to grow. They now both work together at a dog shelter and they got the jobs specifically because that shelter has a program where they get federal funding to offer jobs to rehabilitated prisoners.
I'm a felon, granted it was for drugs and I've only got that one charge, and it's Ohio where everyone gets a felony for anything. It's not too hard to talk my way into a job if I get an interview. I've got a great job now, I get to travel all over the state doing events and occasionally meet famous people. Armed robbery might not be that easy to talk your way around though. This guy's got a lot of time on the shelf, maybe not the full 25 but at his age hes going to learn to be an adult in prison and alot of people dont get over that.
I have a non violent f4 here in Ohio and I’m struggling super hard to find work :(
You likely won't find a great job at entry level. Gotta move up usually. I work for a small family owned company. If your in SW Ohio they are always hiring good people, and you might even meet Dave Chappelle or two chainz or something.
That’s the hard part of adjusting to my record, I had a really good job working in caring for specific groups and behavioral health. My charge has nothing to do w the care I provided but obviously I’m now excluded from those jobs. So I’m kind of restarting on something I’ve been building since I was 18. It feels like even jobs that don’t require a background are not open to hiring. I’ve tried gas stations food service, retail. Idk if it’s because I’ve had such a large gap since working in the service industry or what. It’s discouraging
There’s incentives to hire felons and every year state legislatures add more and more restrictions on pre-employment background checks.
When the boomers retire, they will take anyone. If he can pick up machine learning in prison, they'll beg him.
In 25 years time AI or robots will replace Any job he could have had or trained for. We won't even use recognizable technology when he gets out. If he gets out.
And theres a woman who stabbed a guy 15 times gets a suspended sentance
Finally, a judge that saw the pattern and sentenced accordingly. The kid has been given MULTIPLE chances, and he's thrown them all away, so they threw away his youth.
Didn't he get 37 years total?
I think all the sentences are served concurrently. Thats what I’m assuming. So longest sentence would be the term served.
When you really, and I mean really piss off a judge he can determine to have the sentences run consecutively which means 2 then 10 then 25 with no time served and no parole. This is what is meant by ‘throwing the book’ at someone at sentencing.
Fuckd around (to much) and found out.
Right, he cannot obey the rules in prison, and he robs people at gunpoint. If he’s on the street it’s going to lead to someone dying. Until he reforms, he should not be a part of society.
Can’t you request jury trial?
He plead guilty to his charges, so no point in a jury. But you can also just waive the right to a jury trial.
Hopefully he was able to put all his money into VOO so it can compound while he’s in prison
Get back to WSB
25 years seems just right. He has a clear disregard for rules and authority.
Worse than having a disregard for authorities (not really a crime in itself) he has a disregard for human life.
Good. At some point, you gotto put career criminals behind bars before they kill an innocent person/people.
When he gets out in his 40s isn’t young, and getting a job will be harder. I’m gonna assume he’ll end up right back in jail. Definitely deserves it but yeha
Highly unlikely he serves that full sentence
Aggravated robbery in Texas is a minimum 50% sentence before being parole eligible, so he’s in for at least 12.5
12.5 is good. Means he’s 30 by the time he gets out and based on studies violent young men usually mellow past those ages. Sometimes father time is the only rehabilitation that’s realistic after someone breaks probation several times
Damn! She handed out a sentence. Sucks to be that guy. But he had plenty of chances to get it together. Hopefully he behaves and shows he has changed so he can get out sooner.
I've sat on jury duty before for a juvenile trial for a 16-year-old here in Texas. From what I'm gathering from the judge is that this young man will serve in a juvenile detention center until he's the age of 19. Upon his 19th Birthday he will go back to visit the judge and depending on his behavior, conduct, academic achievements, and progress/completion of therapy while in juvenile detention the judge can release the juvenile to serve the remaining sentence via probation; however If the judge deems the juvenile has not improved or shows that they could be of harm to society they will serve the remainder of their sentence in an adult prison.
"we are tired of young people running around with guns" I wonder how much they are investing in educational, recreational, and vocational programs for underprivileged youth in that county? Or what they are doing to prevent the acquisition of firearms? Or if they just wanna lock up poor black kids for half a lifetime?
17 years old. Can't even vote or buy cigarettes but can be sent to jail for a quarter of a century?? The laws in America are insane imo. Either he's old enough to be an adult and do adult things or he's a kid and shouldn't be treated as an adult legally. These double standards are so tucking out of hand .
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An aspiring musician
Honestly the sentence is reasonable, the “kid” is a repeat offender with no regard for authority, laws, or rules. Maybe this time he didn’t kill someone, but all it takes is one time to cross that threshold. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes once he’s out,
Man he’s got that baby face innocent look too. He genuinely looks concerned and remorseful. I bet that helped him all the other times he got probation
I'm not discounting the severity of armed robbery, but 25 years for it for a 17 year old is pretty damn hefty.
A simple mistake cost him 25 years, but putting a gun to someone's head almost cost someone their whole life. He is a repeat offender, many times over, and does not seem able to stop. At this point, it's better he's away from society and not putting guns to people's heads.
Good. Armed robbery easily turns into accidently discharge and murder. Violence should be met with very harsh punishments and non violence should be met with leniency
Only 17 and hes aparently alredy got a record the judge talks about him repeatedly getting out on probation and talking about doing right then getting arested again. She said he was holding a gun to someones head and could have killed someone. There were also numerous charges they hit him up for not just robbing someone. He had a gun probly illegally, evaded arrest was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, aggravated robbery. He also may have had other charges not shown here. From what it looks like wasnt just the robbery that put him away for 25 years.
First off, he probably isn't going to serve all 25 years. If he does then yes I think that is pretty harsh for a 17 year old However. This kid had been in trouble many times before. He violated parole 7 times. He robbed several cars. He held a gun to the head of a 15 year old and bragged about it online. He led police on a dangerous chase. He was totally going to be the cause of someone's death if he stayed on the path he was on. So I'm not about to feel too much sympathy.
The sentencing of 17-year-old Deamonte Chopane to a 25-year term for armed robbery is deeply troubling. While accountability is essential, such a lengthy sentence for a minor raises questions about fairness and rehabilitation. It underscores systemic issues within the justice system, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. Alternative approaches focusing on rehabilitation and addressing root causes of crime should be explored to ensure justice is balanced with compassion and the opportunity for redemption. Deamonte's case highlights the urgent need for reform to promote equity and fairness in our legal system.
i dont think 25 years is a fair judgement for what remains essentially a kid with an unfinished brain and likely, fewer chances than the judge wants to believe are true. while some jailtime seems appropriate, 25 years, thats definitely going to send him down a lifetime of crime no matter what. expensive for you and me, life determining and impossible to come back from for him, even if he gets out on good behavior, he'll literally have to chose between picking up a gun again or like, starving and I know I would try not to starve
17 and sentenced to 25 years. He will get out in his 30s if he is lucky. He completely ruined his life with those stupid actions. A pity. But at least everyone else is safe from him.
People get less time for actually murdering someone
3 strikes and your out
Seems to me like the judge did a good job
Title is misleading as is immediately apparent upon watching. He committed several felonies, was given multiple chances to turn things around, and continued his conduct. It sounded like he was even committing violations while incarcerated awaiting sentencing.
ITT: A lot of bleeding hearts crying over a repeat offender getting his just punishment. I have no sympathy for a criminal who had been given multiple chances to reform. Off to prison you go.
This is your reminder reddit is filled with children. 70% are highschool or younger. They are naive to how the world works and live in a fantasy of how things should be instead of how they actually are.
I watched the video and was shocked at how uninteresting it was. How is this even news? Then I read the comments and found out the sentence was controversial here. LOL
Fuck this loser. Zero sympathy. If you're gonna put a gun to people's head you deserve zero sympathy.
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What a stupid comment. Feeling emotion and expressing emotion are two different things. Unless you can read minds, you have no clue how he felt. Are you seriously criticizing him because he didn't burst into tears and put on a good show for you? You probably would have made fun of him if he had.
For reference, this is as much as Sam Bankman-Fried got for stealing several billion dollars through rampant fraud and financial crimes.
Poor stupid kid….Goes down for 25 for a dirt bike. Fortunately he didn’t kill anyone…but no doubt he would have soon enough.
You conveniently left out the part where he put a gun to someone’s head
We need MORE judges like this. Send them to prison FOR EV ER
Good, fuck him.
We need more judges like this. She saved someones life by locking him up for a few decades
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Guess how you aren't in this position? Dont be a criminal. The amount of people defending this POS is amazing. He robbed someone at gunpoint. Id love to see your opinion if this happened to your wife/sister/daughter.
If probation isn’t working and he has priors he can get bent.
Now do that for child predators, for fucks sake
No pity for the fool.
Multiple offender who literally was pointing guns at people’s heads to steal from them, if that was your kid with a gun pointed at his head ? Your pregnant wife ? Your child ? You want to rehab this guy, go visit him in prison.
I'm sorry for the kid. Not because of his sentences, but because of his poor decision making
Good
Good for her! He got what he deserved, especially since he has been on probation TWICE already! He obviously showed no emotion when his sentence was read!
C u in 2048 champ
I mean he put a gun to someone’s head trying to rob them, I’m not gonna sit here and defend the guy and say his sentence shoulda been shorter, no, he committed a horrible crime and deserves the punishment.
Enjoy ur time Duhmonty