30 months?

[DMorgan]

I think people who don't check tickets deserve to be ripped of to be honest.

In most cases I'd agree with you but the little old lady playing the lottery every week is a bit much I think.

At first I thought the sentence was pretty harsh but thinking about it, seems about right.

I don't exactly buy the 'he'll have a tough time' fable though as a reason to make it a lesser sentence.

Someone that stupid is gunna have a tough time whatever they do

[George2Loose]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-19318591

She gets half the time when IMO her crime is worse

[leethefish]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-19318591

She gets half the time when IMO her crime is worse

Agreed a lot worse ......mr local hero

[Waz1892]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-19318591

She gets half the time when IMO her crime is worse

read this earlier, felt sick to the stomach.  15months a joke, out in half that no doubt.  Defense lawyer says she plans to rebuild the relationship with her kid afterwards..ffs, shouldn't be allowed anywhere near for the rest of her life....and banned from having kids - unworkable i know, but just saying.

20'000+ other cases a year like this in the UK alone - sometimes you just beggar belief with society

[bobAlike]

It will be interesting to see what this cock gets -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19323202

£150+m thought to be stolen, skipped bail for almost 12 years.

[Tal]

Re the mother, I see this again coming back to why you would put her in prison. If it's to stop her from doing it again to this child, the child can go into care.

If it's to stop her doing it to another child, well 8 months in prison serves no purpose, biologically.

If it's a deterrent, mothers who become alcoholics aren't going to change their minds because of this case.

If it's the protection of society, is getting her off alcohol a starting point? The loss of her child, a sobering her up and 8 unpleasant months away is a pretty hefty combination.

Your man in the OP seems to have made a conscious - albeit opportunistic - swindle of a vulnerable adult for monetary gain. Acts tend to be punished more heavily than omissions.

I'm aware how left wing and huggy all this sounds but we have 80,000+ people in prison and an increasingly high percentage will reoffend within 2 years of release. If the voice of the people is that prison is where these people should be and it needs to be a deterrent to others, it would be much cheaper just to shoot them on conviction.

[bobAlike]

Surely the only deterrent can be more severe punishment?

3 strikes and out would be OK by me.

[The Camel]

Surely the only deterrent can be more severe punishment?

3 strikes and out would be OK by me.

Definitely don't agree with this.

[Waz1892]

Re the mother, I see this again coming back to why you would put her in prison. If it's to stop her from doing it again to this child, the child can go into care.

If it's to stop her doing it to another child, well 8 months in prison serves no purpose, biologically.

If it's a deterrent, mothers who become alcoholics aren't going to change their minds because of this case.

If it's the protection of society, is getting her off alcohol a starting point? The loss of her child, a sobering her up and 8 unpleasant months away is a pretty hefty combination.

Your man in the OP seems to have made a conscious - albeit opportunistic - swindle of a vulnerable adult for monetary gain. Acts tend to be punished more heavily than omissions.

I'm aware how left wing and huggy all this sounds but we have 80,000+ people in prison and an increasingly high percentage will reoffend within 2 years of release. If the voice of the people is that prison is where these people should be and it needs to be a deterrent to others, it would be much cheaper just to shoot them on conviction.

Jail is the only option for such crimes, no?  What is the alternative?  Parenting lessons?  Stern talking too?  Kid taken away, and a slap on the wrist?

Too many times we read of a robber, mugger, shop lifter, going to  "drug-rehab" or "counciling sessions" after a 34th conviction...I can never understand why leniacy was given after the, lets say, 3rd time?!  clearly doesn't give a toss - jail them for a long time. Space an issue, build more, we are an island, we've plenty of room!  Cost of building houses such people vs cost to society keeping them on the streets....gotta be a close call?

[The Camel]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-19318591

She gets half the time when IMO her crime is worse

She is obviously just stupid.

She shouldn't be allowed near her child ever again.

But I don't think she deserves a longer sentence at all.

[bobAlike]

Surely the only deterrent can be more severe punishment?

3 strikes and out would be OK by me.

Definitely don't agree with this.

Yet your op seems to state 30 months isn't enough for fraud against an old biddy.
What would be enough Keith?

[Tal]

Would any of your views be affected by knowing that it costs £30-60k (an average of about £40k) to keep one person in prison for one year?

Not every bad action has been calculated by a healthy mind.

[The Camel]

Surely the only deterrent can be more severe punishment?

3 strikes and out would be OK by me.

Definitely don't agree with this.

Yet your op seems to state 30 months isn't enough for fraud against an old biddy.
What would be enough Keith?

He gets 30 months.

Someone who gets done for shoplifting 3 times gets life.

That's as far away from fair as can be.

[Tal]

Surely the only deterrent can be more severe punishment?

3 strikes and out would be OK by me.

Definitely don't agree with this.

Yet your op seems to state 30 months isn't enough for fraud against an old biddy.
What would be enough Keith?

He gets 30 months.

Someone who gets done for shoplifting 3 times gets life.

That's as far away from fair as can be.

Mention that the next time you're in the States!

[bobAlike]

Would any of your views be affected by knowing that it costs £30-60k (an average of about £40k) to keep one person in prison for one year?

Not every bad action has been calculated by a healthy mind.

Obv there may be some mitigating circumstances and these should be handled as such.
To be fair I do have an idea how much it costs to keep people locked and I also know generally how easy it can be in prison.

I don't feel the current justice system provides enough of a deterrant in it's current state. I don't know what to do to fix it but if I knew 3 crimes and I'm out of society for good I'm pretty sure I'd give up crime after the second time I was caught