A Life Sentence for a Bag of Cheese?
April 2, 2010 by Kathy McManus
Writing in the Sacramento Bee, Marcos Breton called Robert Preston Ferguson—a man who’d been “in and out of prison since the early 1980s”—“the definition of a recidivist criminal.” Last year, Ferguson was arrested in California for stealing a woman’s wallet. Ten days later, he was picked up for shoplifting a $3.99 bag of shredded Tillamook cheese. Because of Ferguson’s prior convictions, which included six burglaries, prosecutors used the state’s “three strikes” law to charge the two petty thefts as felonies, and asked for a life sentence for the “menace to society.”
According to Robert Mackey in the New York Times, Ferguson’s lawyer argued that his earlier burglary convictions “had taken place three decades ago,” and a misdemeanor assault conviction was handed down after a teenage Ferguson tossed a can of soda at a sibling. Some readers wondered if it was irresponsible of cash-strapped California to spend $32,500 a year “to lock up a cheese thief.”
A judge ultimately decided to go “relatively easy” on Ferguson, the Times reported, sentencing him to seven years and eight months in prison. The Bee’s Breton considered the sentence responsible. There is “a good chance Ferguson will victimize someone again,” he wrote. “You wonder if the people screaming about his treatment now would be screaming then, too, asking how it is he ever got back on the street in the first place.”
Tell us what you think: Is the cheese thief’s sentence too harsh, too easy, or does the time fit the crime?
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12 Comments
What do you think? Leave a comment
June 5, 2010 by J
So now I know why the state of CA is broke
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June 12, 2010 by elex
the punishment does not fit the crime. apetty thief is a petty thiefand more than likely a piece of him was stolen in childhood.
its absolutely iresponsible to have someone like this put away while murderers rapist and others with far greater crimes get off routinely
More importantly, although the rate of rescitivism is high for many criminals maybe its simply a wate of money and resources
The military might have great use for a thief . maybe the government can use him . the point being a thief that is truly taking crumbs to survive needs a little hands up.
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June 14, 2010 by Erik Mendoza
I shoplifted as a teenager a couple times then I stoped. Im 21 with a good job but i was tempted again and I did, got caught but ran. I droped my cell and was found now Ive been sentenced to 3 yrs. in prison cuz of my juvinile record. I was about to get a raise to $22.50 and I would rather pay a fine of half my income or more as long as I get to advance on my career but insted I have to resign because I'll be gone too long. I woulv've been making about $30 an hour by the time I get out. DONT FALL INTO TEMPTATION!!!
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July 28, 2011 by Darleen Stewart
I feel for this person......ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.I see and hear this everyday of my life. Here's how I feel.. It's who you know..how much u have and who's butt you will kiss to get what you want in this unjust world..So sad, This poor guy got screwed. Our country is corrupt as far as justice. I am a RN and what I see on the job and what happens to my residents-patients will shock you...that is if I know the right person who will listen..and not get in trouble for reporting this,that someone in higher authority or pay high legal fees for trying to get help for the people. My feelings about alot of fairness has greatly deteriorated. I am a very positive person who feels higher people and corporations need to be focused on before we can find the answer to the above situation and frankly i don't think I will see it in my time!
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June 16, 2010 by kristal white
i think that its stupid to go to jail over cheese or any food at all he wanted to eat not hurt anyone and what does his earlier convictions of burglury have to do w stealing cheese
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August 3, 2010 by Robert Hall
In the spirit of "one up-manship"
In the late 50's two murders were committed, twenty min. and 48 miles apart. The victims were State Highway Patrolmen. This received national press attention. Consequently, the man accused and convicted of these crimes, has spent the last 60+ years in prison. One hoiur before the first shooting, the convicted was 125 miles from the site of this event, and described to his court appointed attorney the location, and the 2cd/3rd shift work rotation of a mill he was watching! The convicted told of watching an employee from the mill, go to his car, eat his lunch from a lunch box, and then return to the mill. Then the convicted, realizing an oppurtunity, stole a license plate from the employees car. The license plate bolts (screws), were found by the SBI in the exact location described by the convicted! This was never presented as evidence at the trial. According to the State Prosecuter, the convicted, somehow, drove 125 miles on two lane black top, committed the first murder, and then drove 48 miles in less than twenty minutes to committ the second. And this second special feat required navigating two(2) ninety-degree turns on similar black top country roads. Incredible !! And it just gets worse from there, insofar as the evidence and eyewitness testimony is concerned. Too hard to believe? Think I'm making this up? Try me! I now possess a manuscript that was completed in the late 80's, and was written by a respected journalist/broadcaster, who tells this story from his first hand experience while covering the trial. Complete with court transcrripts, and personal interviews, along with easily verifiable news reports, this story is both real and surreal at the same time. My questions are these, ... Why were these murders committed, ... Where is the real killer, ... Why has the convicted served the longest incarceration time in this states history, ... And will justice ever be served??
It would be my pleasure to let anyone who would care, read this account for themselves. See if your conclusions are not the same.
Robert Hall ..... bluewater.hall@gmail.com
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September 1, 2010 by w w w
so basically they gave this guy a bunch of time on the assumption he may strike again.....sounds to me like they are convicting him on a crime he did not commit...he stole some cheese for christ sake...but since we are one hundred percent positive he will strike again lets go ahead and lock him away for what he has not done yet....One day the people of this planet will get fed up and they are bigger and stronger since they have busted their bums their whole life and they are gonna fight back and when it happens im goin to the grocery store sit down in the dairy isle and eat some cheese and watch the whole thing from my blackberry....
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July 28, 2011 by Darleen Stewart
Hooray!!!!!!!!!! good job for the statement this person..I will be sitting right next to you..what kind of cheese do you like.. :)
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September 4, 2010 by Brenda
Seriously? All the self rightous people who make these decisions make me ill. Taking a bag of cheese. what a horrible crime!!!. He probable took it because no one will give him a chance at a job. Non-violent people who make mistakes for one reason or another will never get a fair shake in life. They will have to keep paying over and over for their mistakes and will make more mistakes because in fact, who cares and who will step up and give them a chance to show they can be productive people? It's just too easy to tag them as "losers" and put them away to never "hurt" "decent" folks again. Seems to me it would be to everyone advantage to work with people that aren't violent, just seem to make bad decisions.and help them get on the right track. Wouldn't that be a more cost effective move?
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September 29, 2010 by sahshah
California is cash strapped due to the paranoia created by those who make laws that appear to make the citizens of this state feel they are being protected. They stopped requiring the juvenile judges from having individual juvenile hearings, even under the age of 16. They began abusing our children in the court system a numbes of years ago. The cost to counsel and educate a child that unknowingly gets caught up in something with little or no participation in the actual crime is minimal to putting that child away for ten years of his adult forming life. Our Childrens Services and juvenile probation do not work together. Juveniles are "package deals" (Judge Lee) forwarded to the adult system to use, abuse and subject to horrific,verified predatory state prison abuse. To have so many young males provdided to the sex craved monsters that live behind the unescapable conditionsis worse than any film I have seen. I am a female multiple rape survivor, i do not minimize the rape of anyone, but all these young boys? Subjecting them to becoming unable to create a "normal" life on the outside. If we spent money on good for our children instead of appeasing the paranoid and those who unrealistically desire complete environment control, many of us greatgrandparents would not be raising babies now, as well as grandparents.If we do not reform our juvenile justice system we will continue to spend more money on incarceration to the "PRISON INDUSTRY". NO EDUCATION, NO COUNSELING NO JUSTICE NO PEACE Our children pay for the crimes of those they are with. Knowledge or not. They are not punished for their own actions in this society. What can we do to have our children treated as children unless proven they are not?
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December 10, 2010 by Anna
I am heartened by these comments thus far. Everyone seems to have a good persepctive on the ridiculousness of this punishment, seen from all angles.
I wish more people like us made these sorts of legal decisons. Our world would be safer, saner and more humane.
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August 14, 2011 by Jay
He should have burglarized my house... PROBLEM WOULD BE SOLVED!
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