Critical Analysis Of The Bill To Double The Maximum Prison Time For Armed Robbery

The state legislature will be voting on a bill that will double the maximum prison time that an individual will receive for armed robbery if convicted. The reason for this proposal is to help give different solutions that may help the state legislation members see other solutions that may be more beneficial. The bill is popular with the state legislature; but will it do much good if enacted is the number one question at hand. In this proposal I will explain what recommendations I would make, as well as, examine what the new bill’s possibilities are, and is it a good bill or a bad bill to pass and how effective the bill will be if enacted.

First and foremost, many may ask “What constitutes armed robbery?”. Well firstly, an armed robbery charge begins with a theft allegation. This includes taking away the personal property that belongs to someone else with the intent to deny them of the property. The second element of an armed robbery charge is the use of force. When force is used a theft charge is then bumped up to a robbery charge. Thirdly, and the most crucial, the element of an armed robbery charge is the use, pretense, or display of a weapon, then a robbery is perpetrated while in possession of a weapon, the crime will be considered as an armed robbery. The involvement of a weapon or deadly weapon is what establishes a theft allegation apart from a robbery without a weapon. Firearms are generally deemed as a deadly weapon, regardless of whether they are loaded or not. In addition to firearms, other items can be considered weapons or deadly weapons according to the individual state. Other states say it is an object that is capable of causing death or serious bodily injury, even if there is no actual injury that is inflicted. There are no limitations on what object can potentially be considered a weapon under either standard.

The objectives of a bill that seeks to double a prison system for armed robbery would be focused on serving as a deterrent to this crime. By doubling the sentence, the objective is to send a memorandum to any potential robbery suspects or any suspect in general, that committing such a crime would result in enormous prison sentences. By doing this, the public will feel a more sense of security, because fewer individuals would want to commit armed robbery to be sent to prison for the max prison term. Those in legislature would also feel a sense of accomplishment for passing such a bill that will put people behind bars for a lengthy time.

The apparent goal of such a bill would be to reduce the number of armed robberies that are being committed. It would also serve as a lesson for those who may be going down the same path. After seeing various people getting hand down lengthy sentences they would not want to partake in such activities. Armed robberies can be a traumatic experience for the victims especially because of the use of a dangerous weapon and threats of violence. Therefore, the crime should not be considered a minor offense and should have serious consequences.

The most important recommendation that I can offer is to interact more with the public. With the use of crime mapping officials can isolate the areas that exhibit extremely high crime rates and provide more law enforcement officers in those areas. With an increased amount of law enforcement officers patrolling these areas, deterrence is expected to occur and it will also make the citizens of that community feel more secure. A second recommendation that I can offer would be instead of automatically doubling the prison sentence, instead just increase the sentence by a maximum of five years. If this bill is passed by this state legislature, the inmate population will increase. An increase in prison population will lead to overcrowding. This will then lead to the building of more jails and prisons to house the excess number of inmates. When it comes to building more jails and prisons, many neighborhoods, communities, and businesses express strong concern about the locations that may be selected. The last recommendation that I want to offer is to look at the expenses. Considerations such as the expenses to house, feed, clothe, and provide medical services to these inmates will affect everyone from taxpayers to the communities. Imagine the burden that will be placed on taxpayers, because initially, that was a chunk of the money comes from.

This bill proposes both the pros and cons of it. The first upside to passing a bill of this nature would be that it would instill fear in those who are pondering perpetrating such an act as armed robbery. Criminals that are on the street would not think about such crimes. By doubling the maximum sentence for armed robbery, the crime rates will decrease. Many will fear being locked up for such an extensive-time period. The job sector in corrections will expand due to the increased rate of inmates that will be incarcerated. To prevent overcrowding more jails and prisons will have to be built, causing more employment to facilitate the grounds. Lastly, more justice will be served. Many individuals will feel at ease knowing that the perpetrator is locked up and will not be released for a prolonged time frame. This will make victims feel better and allow suspects to be rehabilitated.

This law would not serve the intended purposes and would actually face several drawbacks and potential downfalls. The use of this law would also infringe upon individuals' 8th Amendment rights for suspects who are convicted of an armed robbery as it possibly constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Many may argue that it is unwarranted for someone to be incarcerated for a crime of such nature for that time period. By passing this bill, it will cost the taxpayers more money to house the influx of new inmates that will be incarcerated. Housing these individuals in such conditions will make them more prone to anger and violence. They would have too much time to think about all that has gone wrong, leading them to want to rebel against the system. Many may be incarcerated for such times that the jail or prison life is all they would know and would not know how to rehabilitate back into the community. Serving a double maximum sentence that means that they would not be able to get a lower time for good behavior, this will only cause those inmates incarcerated for armed rubbery to show no form of concern to anything. This will lead to more violent activities and blatant disregard of respect for everyone. Also, being incarcerated for that lengthy period will hinder family relationships. The inmate would be missing from their loved one’s life for almost twenty years, which is enough time for one to completely grow up and forget about the person.

To conclude, this proposal adequately describes various different solutions to help state legislatures vote on whether passing a bill that will double the maximum sentence of armed robbery. The main goal of this bill of such a bill would be to diminish the number of armed robberies that are being perpetrated. It would also act as a lesson for individuals who may be going down in the same direction. The objectives of such a bill would be concentrated on providing a deterrent to this offense. This bill will let any potential robbery suspects or any suspect in general, that committing such a crime would result in enormous prison sentences. All in all, this bill exhibits both good and bad points. With a couple change to the bill it may be ready to be told to the public. On the other hand, it seems as though the cons of this bill out way the pros of the bill.