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HK

wrote:
On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:15:33 -0400, HK wrote:

I didn't give a long answer, but typically I would differentiate between
"theft" and "robbery." Theft typically involves stealing, and usually
not by force. "Robbery" typically is the more serious offense, and
usually involves force. Now, laws and definitions differ from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so obviously in some places "theft" can
include characteristics of a more serious offense.

Generally, I would not give long prison sentences to non-violent thieves.

So basically a guy can just be a thief or a living and nothing bad
will ever happen to him. He just goes to "crime school" for a little
while to become a better thief, maybe join a gang.

I didn't say or imply that. My point is that non-violent crimes
typically do not deserve really long sentences. Remember, we incarcerate
a higher percentage of our population than almost any other country.

As for what our convicts learn in prison, it isn't as if we generally
make any serious effort to rehab and re-educate. Basically, we store our
criminals in a system that brutalizes and hardens them.