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50 Years In Jail For Stealing $35 Meat

Waco Texas man gets 50 year prison sentence for stealing a rack of ribs
News From The Lone Star State - Texas

A habitual offender may have committed his final felony, after a jury sentenced him to 50 years for stealing a rack of ribs from a shop. Willie Smith Ward, 43, attempted to steal the $35 large rack of ribs at the H-E-B store in Waco, Texas, by smuggling it underneath his shirt. Ward was then apprehended in the car park by a shopping assistant, who noticed the bulge and tried to stop him ...
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Meat Stealing Jail Years

Even if he is a repeat offender 50 years for a man this age is basically telling him he will die in prison, seems a bit harsh when what he probably needs is some kind of psychological or social help.

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I respectfully disagree. The law is there to be respected, he will receive psychological treatment inside prison. This man had five previous felonies and four convictions for misdemeanors including burglary, attempted robbery, aggravated assault, leaving the scene of an accident and possession of cocaine. On top of that, he rejected a plea of 20 years in prison.

Meat Stealing Jail Years

This is a customary offender but, still, 50 years for stealing some ribs sound excessive to me: people that murder in cold blood sometimes only get about 25 years which is half of this. One of the basis of any legal system is that the punishment must be proportioned to the offense. I believe that the judge forgot about this basic principle this time.

Meat Stealing Jail Years

I agree with both Bruconero and Krusten. Come on, they are being too harsh on him, this can mean death for him as well and that can be wrong as well. He should of got around 30 years in jail or a bit less than that. I hope that judge knows what he is doing because it seems like it is not like that.

50 Years In Jail For Stealing $35 Meat

It is a question of career criminal versus a one time bad choice. This man is obviously a career criminal. In some places he would never have stolen the meat because he would be in prison for life under the "Three strikes your out" Laws. Excessive? Probly so, but if he hasn't learned his lesson by now then he likely never will. I would have offered him the 50 years or voluntary execution. I bet the 50 years would look really good to him at that point.

50 Years Jail Stealing $35 Meat

Do you guys ever consider that often people that steal food do that not for profit but because they are just hungry? Doesn't matter how many times you get caught: if you are hungry, you are hungry.
If this is the case, he will never learn not do that because is impossible to learn to stop eating... Now, somebody will say that he got free meals for the next 50 years. That's silly, because one of the duties of a Nation is help their citizens to satisfy their basic needs.

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I doubt that he was stealing the ribs just because he was hungry. I think if he was hungry he would have gone to a fast food place where could have gotten a meal off a dollar or value menu.