robbed wasn't armed

[heeler]

He will have to serve at least 20 years before even coming up for consideration for parole and even then for a violent offense they are usually not granted parole the first time they come up.
And contrary to what a lot of misinformed people might think life at the Texas Department of Corrections is really quite harsh as I have personally known no less than three people who have served time there.
There is a good likely hood the guy will die in prison which I doubt many will grieve.
Glad they gave so much time as there are way to many of these people out there.

[chasfm11]

He will have to serve at least 20 years before even coming up for consideration for parole and even then for a violent offense they are usually not granted parole the first time they come up.
And contrary to what a lot of misinformed people might think life at the Texas Department of Corrections is really quite harsh as I have personally known no less than three people who have served time there.
There is a good likely hood the guy will die in prison which I doubt many will grieve.
Glad they gave so much time as there are way to many of these people out there.

I guess I'm not surprised. I have read that conditions in Texas prisons do vary from institution to institution, somewhat dependent on whether they are State or privately run.

The whole idea of prisons seems to have vacillated. We lived not far from Ossining, NY and saw quite a bit on the history of Sing Sing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing_Sing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Control has changed over the year from those who viewed prisons as harsh punishment and made the conditions difficult to those who viewed prisons as places for rehabilitation. Some of the pictures that I've seen of CA prisons seem to fall into that category. This appears to be one of the litmus tests between Conservative and Liberal thinking.

You would think that if the fine pillar of society featured in this thread had already 12 years in a Texas prison under his belt, he wouldn't be anxious to go back for more over the few dollars that he was likely to get in the referenced incident. Yes, I know that most BGs don't think that they'll be caught again.

[seamusTX]

I've come to believe that by the time a man is old enough to be put in prison (age 17 or older) his character is very unlikely to change. Actually, I would put the deadline more about age 7.

Certainly there are exceptions, but they are rare.

Back in the day when thieves were hanged for the theft of a shilling and flogged and pressed into military service for "lesser" crimes, these punishments were no deterrent at all.

- Jim

[Purplehood]

I've come to believe that by the time a man is old enough to be put in prison (age 17 or older) his character is very unlikely to change. Actually, I would put the deadline more about age 7.

Certainly there are exceptions, but they are rare.

Back in the day when thieves were hanged for the theft of a shilling and flogged and pressed into military service for "lesser" crimes, these punishments were no deterrent at all.

- Jim

I would have to disagree. I feel that a significant percentage of teenage juvenile-delinquents are indeed, redeemable. If some Police, Parents and Judges hadn't felt that way back in the early '70s, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Please keep in mind that I did not rob, rape or murder anyone. I was just stupid.

[seamusTX]

I won't argue about the percentages, because I have no data. I doubt anyone has reliable data.

I think offenders should be given opportunities to turn their life around. Aside from the moral aspect, it's better to have a productive member of society than a prisoner kept like an animal at taxpayer expense for decades.

There's also quite a bit of difference between a teenager who steals for a thrill or deals drugs versus someone who commits forcible rape or full-blown intentional murder.

- Jim

[ELB]

I've come to believe that by the time a man is old enough to be put in prison (age 17 or older) his character is very unlikely to change. Actually, I would put the deadline more about age 7.

Certainly there are exceptions, but they are rare.

Back in the day when thieves were hanged for the theft of a shilling and flogged and pressed into military service for "lesser" crimes, these punishments were no deterrent at all.

- Jim

I would have to disagree. I feel that a significant percentage of teenage juvenile-delinquents are indeed, redeemable. If some Police, Parents and Judges hadn't felt that way back in the early '70s, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Please keep in mind that I did not rob, rape or murder anyone. I was just stupid.

I work the board of an organization that focuses on teenagers who have been convicted (or as Texas terms it, adjudicated) of crimes. I work with a local branch, but it is part of a national organization called AMIkids (website AMIkids.org). When asked to join, I was a bit skeptical, but they do seem to able to do fairly well at getting teens turned around. Pretty much across the board, the success rate runs 70%-80%. Success is generally measured by how many graduates of the program end up back in the legal system in the three years following. If you know anything about adult incarceration rates, the AMIkids rates are phenomenal.

I think teens to very young adults (e.g. 18, 19, 20 or so) still have a malleable enough mental state that they can undergo drastic changes -- for good or bad. Join a gang, become a thug. Join Boy Scouts (and stick with it), become a ... well... boy scout.

Teens have not set up solid boundaries about good or bad limits, and think that's why juvenile gang members can be so vicious (most cops I know say they are a lot more afraid of teen criminals than adult). Likewise, I think it is why they can be steered back. I was never a fan of dumping "problems" on the military, but the military does have a decent - not perfect, but decent- track record of taking young people and making adults out of them.

Once a full adult mindset takes hold, tho, I think the chances of serious change are much more remote, and I am happy with locking up adult repeat/serious offender for a long long time. I am not worried about rehabilitating them, I want to make sure they are not out causing more crime. The cost of keeping them locked up is nothing to the cost of letting them continue a criminal career, and the costs of prison can be budgeted for and more fairly assessed. The costs of letting them run around is uncontrolled and the primary victims pay inordinately high immediate costs, while the rest of us pay in yet more in terms of trying to be "secure" with more police, alarms, bars on the windows, worrying about what neighborhood we are driving thru, and all that.

[kjolly]

It's always difficult to play arm chair quarterback. I have been in the same boat as you as my full size pistol cannot be easily concealed, and through I got my CHL I realized the gun I loved is mainly useless for CC. Solution is I have brought a smaller, much lighter gun for concealed carry.

Was staying in a hotel in Austin last month while home repairs were being done and was walking down the hallway, exchanged greeting with man walking the other direction. several steps later I heard him turn around and rush towards me. Fortunatly I had card key in hand and by then next to my door. I've never opened a door so fast and slammed it behind me.

In a lot of instances I feel it might be best to part with a little cash than to have to hire a lawyer but you never know where a encounter like this will end. Now that I have the small gun I carry most of the time.

[seamusTX]

In a lot of instances I feel it might be best to part with a little cash than to have to hire a lawyer but you never know where a encounter like this will end.

If I could be certain that robbers just wanted "a little cash," I probably would shrug and give it to them to avoid all the paperwork and other hassles. I rarely have as much as $100 on me.

However, you are correct that you do not know where it will end.

An armed robber, or even a powerful strong-arm robber, can force the victim to drive to an ATM and withdraw money, force the victim into his or her home and ransack the home, commit rape, and burn the house down with the victim tied up in it.

Even if robbers do not commit this kind of ultimate atrocity, they can do quite a bit of damage with your wallet, keys, and cell phone.

- Jim

[magillapd]

I have thought about this. I have been thinking about carrying about $10 in ones on my person, $5 in each front pocket. My thinking is that if someone ever tried to rob me, let it be grab my arm or whatever, I could reach in whatever pocket was most accessible and grab the loose $5 and throw it at the person. My thinking is he would see the cash and try to grab for it thus giving me time to get some distance and poss draw my gun if needed. This would avoid the hand me your wallet crap and also distract the person.

[Scott in Houston]

I have thought about this. I have been thinking about carrying about $10 in ones on my person, $5 in each front pocket. My thinking is that if someone ever tried to rob me, let it be grab my arm or whatever, I could reach in whatever pocket was most accessible and grab the loose $5 and throw it at the person. My thinking is he would see the cash and try to grab for it thus giving me time to get some distance and poss draw my gun if needed. This would avoid the hand me your wallet crap and also distract the person.

I keep my cash in clip for that reason. I don't carry much, but there's usually at least $20-$30. I plan to use it as a way to draw their eyes away or distract them if I'm in a situation where they got the draw on me, and I have a gun pointed my way. I am guessing it will either 1) distract enough for me to draw and fire or 2) give them what they want and they leave.

[seamusTX]

That's called a "mugger roll." Usually it's something like 2 fives and 10 ones to look like more money than it actually is.

When I lived in Chicago and took public transportation—and of course could not legally carry any weapon—I did exactly that.

However, there is a species of thug who will not be satisfied with $20 in small bills, and will do whatever he thinks might make you give up "the good stuff."

This was not so much a problem in the 1970s, when $20 was a decent day's pay, credit cards were not so widespread, and ATMs had not been invented. Robbers pretty much took the cash and jewelry that they could get. Now they are more likely to force you to withdraw money from a bank or to steal your entire wallet with a view to some kind of identity theft.

- Jim

[rbrecount]

MrCharlie, the Annoyed Man has good advice. I am glad you weren't hurt and that the BG was caught.
I am older and more feeble than you so I have to be alert everywhere. I carry a 9mm compact in my belt and maybe my little snubbie 38 special in a pocket.

Gee, what a sad world we live in now.

[speedsix]

,,,excellent layout of our mindsets...we didn't have the benefit of that training but to print that out and stick it up somewhere where we'll see it and be reminded could well save our hides someday...thanks, TAM...