[yungudu]

But why is he stealing cars? If he's going to go around doing things like that we don't want him in our society do we? And what's even more crazy is he stole a car, knowing that it would be his third strike. Sounds like a douchebag.

[vidarh]

I'd personally prefer to have a car thief going around, than someone who thinks a minor property crime is sufficient grounds for locking someone up for life going around.

> And what's even more crazy is he stole a car, knowing that it would be his third strike

At this point one should stop for a moment and ponder why that might be, and not be satisfied until you have an answer.

When society is so broken that someone is willing to risk life in prison over a theft, then to me the problem is the society that left him without better alternatives first and foremost, not the thief.

[tombrossman]

Stealing a car isn't 'minor property crime' it's a serious felony, but I agree that I don't want car thieves locked up for decades as this is unreasonable. The real problem is often drug abuse or mental health issues and those don't get fixed in prison.

I had my car stolen a few years before I got seated on that jury and while it was unpleasant, I got my car back a couple weeks later in perfect condition. The most annoying thing was that the police had it towed to an impound lot and didn't tell me for several days, and I had to pay for the tow and daily impound fees! I explained this during the jury polling and was really surprised to still be seated.

It was a different police force handling my stolen car and I remember thinking that they were total clowns compared to the ones I saw years later as a juror.

[coldtea]

>Stealing a car isn't 'minor property crime' it's a serious felony

"Felony" is a legal term -- and the "seriousness" is related to the laws passed and the culture around them. Heck, it might not even reflect society's opinion of the offense.

Back in the day stealing a car for a ride (equally a "felony" as stealing it permanently) was something "delinquent youth" did routinely, without much harm to anyone -- the practice, common in many countries, is called a "joyride" (nowadays electronic locks make it more difficult -- it was much more prevalent back in the day).

[pjc50]

without much harm to anyone

Apart from that the joyriders are usually doing it so they can drive dangerously, which can and does result in people getting killed or seriously injured. And the thousands of pounds of property damage.

Not that it deserves a life sentence, but delinquency shouldn't be an excuse but a reason for intervention.

[coldtea]

>But why is he stealing cars? If he's going to go around doing things like that we don't want him in our society do we?

Well, I want him alright. There are tons of examples of people who have done such things, including repeatedly, that include some great artists, writers, inventors, businessmen, etc. And of course tons of people who went to to change their ways, become great parents, etc.

We could lose some people thinking like your statement above from society, though.

[mason240]

We have plenty of people in society that we don't need to keep car thieves on the street stealing cars.

[isleyaardvark]

Instead we'll pay to keep them imprisoned for 40-50 years for stealing one car. We should spend that money for incarceration because the cost of one car is too great. You think that is a wise choice?

[mcphage]

> we don't need to keep car thieves on the street stealing cars

Sure, but we'd probably be better off finding something better than jail as well.

[coldtea]

I'd rather get rid of the bankers and advertisers (for starters) and keep the car thieves.

Actually, I'd rather we get rid of the cars...

[mason240]

That you would prefer car thieves to cars really says it all.

[coldtea]

Sure, but you forgot to mention which are these "all".

Besides, cars kill far more people than car thieves (actually, they are the leading cause of death in young people), pollute the air, have a big environmental impact for their construction (including electric cars), contribute to urban noise pollution, and influence city planning in creating monstrous (sub)urban sprawls. And that's before the billions spent on oil for car use, and the millions killed to ensure first world countries control it and get it for cheap.