Man gets 4 Years in Prison for Torching CVS During Baltimore Unrest

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/man-gets-4-years-prison-torching-cvs-during-baltimore-unrest-n465266

So am I the only one who feels this is a pretty short sentence? You get only 4 years for purposely trying to burn shit down for no reason?

Some stuff from the article that caught my eye:

"Ordinary citizens concerned about their neighborhood helped to catch Raymon Carter after he participated in the riot,"

Now if only these ordinary citizens would apply this zeal to all the gang bangers.

Another thing:

"Raymon Carter, 24, must also pay $500,000 in restitution"

Well alright. This person won't even make that much in their entire lifetime. So someone with more knowledge about the way this works should let me know: will he be tossed back in jail for this if he doesn't pay? Yeah I said "if" he doesn't pay, it should be "when".

I guess this proves that your claim that citizens aren't against these kinds of behaviour, nor that it isn't fought and prosecuted, is unfounded. Sort of like everyone's been telling you.

Cvs stopped selling cigarettes, how could anyone want to burn them down?

Originally posted by Bardock42
I guess this proves that your claim that citizens aren't against these kinds of behaviour, nor that it isn't fought and prosecuted, is unfounded. Sort of like everyone's been telling you.

First off this is one incident. Second, it shows a rare of example of how things should be done. But it doesn't mean the issue isn't there. So it doesn't prove the problem doesn't exist.

Finally, I never once said it isn't fought or prosecuted. I have said it isn't fought *enough*. That has always been my thing. I have never said nothing at all has been done.

Originally posted by Time-Immemorial
Cvs stopped selling cigarettes, how could anyone want to burn them down?

....What this Irony? I can't tell.

The CVS by my house has really good prices on beer for some reason. I always pick up 30 packs there if I drink.

But is it REAL Beer or that crappy 3.2 beer?

It's Miller High Life lol.

Originally posted by Surtur

So am I the only one who feels this is a pretty short sentence? You get only 4 years for purposely trying to burn shit down for no reason?

*Checks*

Minimum sentence for Arson is 3 years, 15,000$ fine. 3-5 is the norm, so right dab in the middle, neither lenient nor high.

No-one got hurt, so the sentence length seems reasonable to me.

Well alright. This person won't even make that much in their entire lifetime. So someone with more knowledge about the way this works should let me know: will he be tossed back in jail for this if he doesn't pay? Yeah I said "if" he doesn't pay, it should be "when".

It's normally wage garnishment, money gets auto subtracted. And yea, it is a *hefty* fine.

Looking up Arson, *50,000* is a more normal fine (and 15 is the min as mentioned), so honestly it looks to me like they came heavy on him but only in the fine department. The heck? It'd have been better to give a longer prison term but not charge such a huge fine that'll leave him paying it off for a looong time.

It's kinda, "Ok, we won't do a long conventional sentence, but we *will* purposefully trap you in poverty for, oh, at least the next several decades, possibly your whole life."

Originally posted by Surtur
It's Miller High Life lol.

....ok that is crappy beer ,but hey. Ya can buy LOTS OF IT FOR CHEAP!

Originally posted by Q99
*Checks*

Minimum sentence for Arson is 3 years, 15,000$ fine. 3-5 is the norm, so right dab in the middle, neither lenient nor high.

No-one got hurt, so the sentence length seems reasonable to me.

It's normally wage garnishment, money gets auto subtracted. And yea, it is a *hefty* fine.

Looking up Arson, *50,000* is a more normal fine (and 15 is the min as mentioned), so honestly it looks to me like they came heavy on him but only in the fine department. The heck? It'd have been better to give a longer prison term but not charge such a huge fine that'll leave him paying it off for a looong time.

It's kinda, "Ok, we won't do a long conventional sentence, but we *will* purposefully trap you in poverty for, oh, at least the next several decades, possibly your whole life."

Hm, when you put it like this yeah I'm glad. If prison doesn't scare these f*cks enough to not act this way maybe making shit money for the rest of their lives will be a wake up call to others.

So good, the fact he thought he had the right to set fires over this bullshit..maybe next time he'll think twice. Maybe next time anyone decides to riot they will think of this and think twice.

Who am I kidding? No, they won't think twice either way. I to keep having to reminding myself these people did this not for any cause, but for selfish reasons.

Only now when this guy gets out of jail and commits more criminal acts he can whine and blame it on poverty.

They'd pyt him on the chain gang in Georgia.

Originally posted by Surtur
Hm, when you put it like this yeah I'm glad. If prison doesn't scare these f*cks enough to not act this way maybe making shit money for the rest of their lives will be a wake up call to others.

Eh, punishments past certain levels don't really add much deterance factor.

Honestly the fine makes me uneasy- at that amount, he can turn his life around and commit to working positively and it'll still haunt him forever. It is literally ten times the normal amount for the crime of arson- if it was so bad to get such a high fine, why not more jail time instead? What makes it so bad to give an extravagant fine, but a middling sentence?

Something's out of whack. If he was rich and they thought he could just blow off the fine without learning a lesson that'd be one thing, but I don't get what they're going for.

And one thing you do not want to see is the creation of a permanent poor underclass because people of previous generations committed crimes.

Let's face reality for a second: he won't ever make anything close to that amount anyways. That to me is the ultimate reason it makes no sense. Dude is setting fires to CVS just because. He's not going to suddenly be earning a lot of money.

Originally posted by Surtur
Let's face reality for a second: he won't ever make anything close to that amount anyways. That to me is the ultimate reason it makes no sense. Dude is setting fires to CVS just because. He's not going to suddenly be earning a lot of money.

Right. I mean, it's possible he could get his head on straight, grow up, go back to school... but like you say, most likely result is this hangs over him for the rest of his life while he works mundane low-paying jobs. Even when he's at an age when setting fire to a CVS is something he wouldn't remotely consider..

With this on his record can he even get mundane jobs?