Institutional Affiliation (4)

The Sentencing of a Strong-Armed Robbery-A Reflection

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

A 30-year old man was convicted of third-degree robbery following his attack on a young mother who was in the company of her infant. The jury found him to be guilty of the crime. If I were the judge responsible for imposing a sentence, I would sentence him to one (1) year jail time and six months probation or a fine of USD 5,000. I concluded that this would be a justified punishment after carefully considering factors such as the charge itself, injury caused to the victim, prior criminal history, and the victim’s sentence recommendation, among other factors.

In my opinion, a sentence of having the offender serving one year jail time and six months of probation or a fine of 5,000 dollars is justified because it is in line with the state recommendation. The law recommends a probation sentence with the possibility of a jail term for strong-arm robbery. If the man had used a weapon during the attack, he would have received a sentence of up to three (3) years in jail. Secondly, the fact the offender does not have a prior criminal history also helped inform my decision. I agree that robbery is a serious crime but worth noting, being the first time the offender is convicted of a crime shows that the guy is not a repeat offender. I believe the conditions surrounding his life might have led to this crime. Although this is not a justification for his behavior, there is a need to correct the behavior. Further, it had been reported that the offender had recently lost his job at a shopping store. Also, background checks showed that the guy had worked various odd jobs, and all through, he managed to maintain a clean record with all his employers. The offender has only a high secondary education and holds strong family ties. I am confident that this decision will help correct the offender’s behavior and, at the same time, keep the victim safe.

I feel inclined to give the offender a jail term and probation or a fine because I hope that the jail term will come in handy in reforming this offender’s behavior. Judging from his history, it is clear that he has not found himself on the wrong side of the law because he is a fast time offender. Although he sounds like a principled family man who leads an honest life and had probably just found himself on the wrong side of the law, it is prudent that he learns his lesson by paying the file of serving both jail and probation time. Additionally, the young mother and others like her need to feel protected within society. The victim’s impact statement revealed that the offender might not be as innocent as he might look. She noted that the accident left her and her young infant terrified. She is afraid of walking alone, even during the day. Although she did not get hurt, she confessed that the accused had ruffled her during the incident when he was violently demanding their possessions, including her car. Moreover, the lady said that although she and her daughter did not suffer an injury, she believes the offender can harm them, including abducting and killing them. As such, I feel obligated to give the offender jail term to put the victim’s mind at ease and assure her of her safety during the months that the offender will be in prison. If the offender manages to raise the fine money of five thousand dollars to avoid a jail term, the pain of parting with the money will ensure that the offender does not repeat the offense.