Mr. Clemmons, by the time he’d received his really big sentence of 60 years for burglary and stealing a weapon, was no longer a first time offender.
Which would be the non-violent burglary of the State Trooper's home which is why I figured he had the book thrown at him.
He was sentenced to that while serving a 35-year sentence for a mugging in which he hit a woman so it is disingenuous to imply they were not part of the same crime spree.
The typical sentence for burglary is 2.5 years and for robbery 6.5 years.
This kid got a bad deal and I suspect it was because of who one of his victims was.
“...so it is disingenuous to imply they were not part of the same crime spree.”
I didn't say that it wasn't “part of the same crime spree.”
But this was a “spree” that lasted over a year. To consider him a first-time offender by the time he was being sentenced for his fifth set of felonies is what is really disingenuous.
“The typical sentence for burglary is 2.5 years and for robbery 6.5 years.”
I don't much care what's “typical.” Six and a half years for one offense might be reasonable, but by the time someone is being prosecuted for his THIRD violent assault/robbery, the sentence should be in the range of a few decades. Which, by the way, is what he got on the robbery/assault of the woman from whom he netted the grand total of $16. He was willing to injure and maim another human being for SIXTEEN DOLLARS. At that time, he should have been thrown away permanently.
As well, I don't think most states provide eligibility for parole (and almost automatic freeing on parole once eligible) after less than 25% of the original sentence. Thus, a sentence of 60 years on the burglary charge really netted less than 15 years. That's not so unreasonable for someone back before a judge for a fifth time.
“Which would be the non-violent burglary of the State Trooper's home which is why I figured he had the book thrown at him.”
I figure he got the book thrown at him because it was pretty clear that in the course of a better part of a year, he'd made a decision to become a career criminal. This was his FIFTH set of felonies, and they weren't all committed in a short period of time, but rather over the course of a year or more.
I think that what also contributed to the hefty and deserved sentences were the acts of violence while incarcerated, intending to seriously harm, maim or kill prison guards and judicial personnel. I'll betcha that that sort of behavior will ordinarily draw a little bit of extra time.
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