Moral Dilema of the Day - Cancer Patient gets 10 month Prison Sentence for Shoplifting

[tonni]

“Stealing food” you mean foraging

 

[deadshot138]

There's no dilemma here. Laws are laws. Should have thought about the cancer before you decided to break them.

 

[Rod1]

I mean, there's probably gonna be a tenth time. I dunno. Is there a reasonable sentence that would actually deter her from continuing to do this?.

 

[Pseudo Sane]

You kid but I sometimes wonder if bringing back corporal punishment for petty theft and other minor crimes would be more effective and humane than our current system.

That and public humiliation. Bring back the stocks!

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

I would ordinarily say illness plays no part and "follow the same laws we all do, break em and pay the penalty", but when the person is essentially dying and it's a buck's worth of nutrition... let it go

 

[MilesAbove]

She should not be prosecuted if she's stealing because her medical costs. The US medical system is broken af and so callus/uncaring that I literally moved away for proper basic healthcare.

 

[Rod1]

You kid but I sometimes wonder if bringing back corporal punishment for petty theft and other minor crimes would be more effective and humane than our current system.

That and public humiliation. Bring back the stocks!

Probably would be cheaper on the taxpayer and recidivism cant be worse than actual prison.

 

[Jkillah]

IMO shopping lifting should be punished with forced labor like trash clean up or janitorial work rather than housing them in prison. Why spend thousands of dollars to house them in prison? Make her spend a couple of days cleaning toilets and call it even.

 

[Trotsky]

When I first scrolled past the thread title, I thougth it said "10 month prison sentence for shitposting."

That'd be wild.

 

[Deleted member 159002]

“Stealing food” you mean foraging

*gleaning

 

[Pseudo Sane]

When I first scrolled past the thread title, I thougth it said "10 month prison sentence for shitposting."

That'd be wild.

The prisons would overflow within days if shitposting was a crime. You'd have to go full Escape from New York to house all the criminals.

 

[Cyrano200]

I dont think cancer is that much of a factor. 10 months for 100$ in food seems unwarranted even considering a repeat offender.

From the second linked article "Menser had a "lengthy’ criminal history, including 13 prior theft convictions, welfare fraud, and endangering the welfare of children. “In this case, Ms. Menser’s sentencing range called for jail time, anywhere from six to sixteen months in duration.”

Got to agree and I'm sure if she needs "sergery" that badly, you still get medical treatment while in jail. In fact, prisoners typically have better healthcare than a lot of actual employed people. Can't sympathize with someone that has double-digit convictions and still isn't getting a full year in prison.

Now she’ll have all her hospital bills paid for

Also from the second article “The court imposed a period of state incarceration ... and the simple fact the state system is far more capable of addressing serious health concerns for inmates,” Of course you should feel bad for the cancer, but it seems clear she is not an innocent and the incarceration will not interfere with treatment.

 

[Cyrano200]

“Stealing food” you mean foraging

She should not be prosecuted if she's stealing because her medical costs. The US medical system is broken af and so callus/uncaring that I literally moved away for proper basic healthcare.

From the second linked article, the one with facts to spice up the raw emotion of the first arti"Menser stole makeup, hair dye, a candle, and a “Super Skinny Serum” product. And not to be callous, but isn't cancer / chemo a suitable substitute for "Super Skinny Serum"?

 

[Prutfis]

Probably did it to get better treatment.

 

[CaptainEarth]

Did she steal because she had to put all her money toward medical care? Is she on Medicaid? Does Medicaid not cover the services she needs?

These are crucial questions on which this dilemma hangs, and the 'journalist' in the OP link doesn't ask or answer any of them. Awful journalism.

Yeah. She probably has no money because it's all gone to paying for her cancer. Because of the shit show America's health Care system is. And I'm betting that is probably the case. So yes, she should be able to steal 100 times and not get anything done to her, because she has no fucking money for food. So either she starves or she steals food. You guys make the choice in that instance