# Methinks someone wanted to go back to prison

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 29, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371 "2007-08-29T15:52:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371/1 "2007-08-29T15:52:41Z")

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There’s no other way I can parse this [event](http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070828/NEWS02/708280359).

I’ve tried the whole, “He really, really needed $4 to get a card to go with that plastic flower.” It just doesn’t hold water for me. I’d think most poeple willing to pull a knife on someone for their money would take the $10 spot when it were offered, rather than insisting his target go into a local convenience store (with all the potential for the plan screwing up there) break the ten-spot, and then come back out and hand over just the $4.

I don’t care how drunk, stoned, or even crazy this guy may have been. I just can’t make any other explaination work.

He had to have a good idea how the criminal justice system will respond to this farce of an armed robbery, and wanted that outcome.

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**Author:** ![netsplit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@netsplit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netsplit)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371/2 "2007-08-29T16:13:20Z")

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Wouldn’t the ideal punishment be to sentence him to get a job and live a normal life?

At the very least maybe a mental health facility.

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**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371/3 "2007-08-29T16:52:03Z")

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[QUOTE=netsplit]  
Wouldn’t the ideal punishment be to sentence him to get a job and live a normal life?  
[/QUOTE]

What job do you imagine someone who robs people for exact change is suited for?

> [@](#):
>
> At the very least maybe a mental health facility.

Bingo!

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**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371/4 "2007-08-29T17:48:26Z")

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[QUOTE=hotflungwok]  
What job do you imagine someone who robs people for exact change is suited for?  
[/QUOTE]

Excise man? 😃

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**Author:** ![netsplit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@netsplit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netsplit)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/methinks-someone-wanted-to-go-back-to-prison/417371/5 "2007-08-29T17:55:53Z")

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[QUOTE=hotflungwok]  
What job do you imagine someone who robs people for exact change is suited for?

[/QUOTE]

I’m sure the IRS has plenty of work suited to his talents.