Pico Rico wrote:
>
> "Gary" wrote:
> >
> > I was
> > a juror once and the case was some guy shoplifting a $5 steak from a
> > grocery store. Misdemeanor. But because that would have been his 3rd
> > misdemeanor shoplifting charge in so many years, the judge informed us
> > that if we voted guilty, he faced up to 8 years in state prison.
> >
> > I planned to vote not guilty only because the sentence seems way to
> > harsh to me. Luckily the case was dismissed before we had to vote.

So anyway, once the jurors were chosen, the judge told us the charges
and the penalty. But then he said, "Your only job is to determine
guilty or innocent and not to consider the sentence." Yeah right...he
shouldn't have told us all that then. There was no way I was going to
be a part of putting someone in prison up to 8 years for stealing a $5
steak. That steak would have cost us taxpayers maybe 20 times that
much. Overkill sentencing, imo.
> >
>
> and how many times did he shoplift and NOT get caught? Lock him up!

I'm sure he did shoplift more times and I was also convinced he was
guilty of this occasion where he did get caught. The penalty is still
wrong to me. Give him 500 hours of community service or something but
not hard prison time...geezz!

G.