Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Source

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After he was convicted of armed robbery in 2000, Cornealious Anderson was sentenced to 13 years behind bars and told to await instructions on when and where to report to prison. But those instructions never came.

So Anderson didn't report. He spent the next 13 years turning his life around — getting married, raising three kids, learning a trade. He made no effort to conceal his identity or whereabouts. Anderson paid taxes and traffic tickets, renewed his driver's license and registered his businesses.

Not until last year did the Missouri Department of Corrections discover the clerical error that kept him free. Now he's fighting for release, saying authorities missed their chance to incarcerate him.

What a fething waste of taxpayer money. This isn't some guy who hid out all this time, he never changed his name, and even got a speeding ticket once and nothing happened, he just never got the order to go and waited due to a clerical error. He did what they want of inmates, he rehabilitated himself and became a model citizen but now we are going to waste money ripping his family, life, and community apart because the state fethed up thirteen years ago. Give him community service if the need to punish someone is so severe that common sense is going to be ignored. Make him give lectures to prisoners about turning your life around or the importance of a trade.

Statute of Limitation?

I don't often root for guys who did crime, but in this case....he's done a wonderful job turning himself around. I really like that lecture idea of yours, but I'd more ask him if he wants to do it.

 Jihadin wrote:
Statute of Limitation?

That counts toward charging or trying someone, don't think there are on unfulfilled sentences. I would like to think that at the very least the Governor could commute it, but is probably afraid of appearing soft on crime.

 Jihadin wrote:
Statute of Limitation?

That only comes into play before going forward with a charge.

This guy is in more of a Roman Polanski-type situation, whereby if he had done his time, he'd be done by now but by fleeing pre-sentencing he's legally in limbo.

I'm not sure what to do. I mean, he obviously is supposed to do his time, but he certainly didn't flee, either. I think the governor commuting his sentence might be the best possible thing, but what governor is going to commute the sentence of a violent (use of a weapon would be considered violent, I think) felon who didn't serve a day?

Ultimately I'd like to think prisons serve both to punish and rehabilitate. If we already got the latter, as a society I don't think we need the former. But I think he'll do his time now.


edit: man my whole post got ninja'd

Not only does he need to serve the original sentence, he needs to serve more for dodging it. Plus additional time for abandoning his children by going to jail. Can we put the kids in Jail? I mean technically his sperm should have served the full sentence too. Anyone who disagrees is SOFT ON CRIME. !!!!!

Eh he's made no attempt to hide; he's rehabilitated himself (which should be the primary intent of the courts and judicial system). I'd argue that even though he should serve some punishment it should not be the original 13 years. Give him community service or a significantly reduced sentence. I don't think the court can let him get away with nothing, but certainly it sounds like he's worked on improving himself and that should be rewarded (afterall the intent of prison is to rehabilitate - or at least it should be)

I think the distinction we're fumbling for is that sending him in for the full 13 would serve the law, but sentencing him to community service or something like that would serve justice.

Isnt there some special law where after a period of time a crime becomes ''outdated''?

Where do I sign the petition to keep him free?

Anyway, as the guys above me said, community service seems to be the right thing to do in this situation.

If the government had any commonsense they would use him to their advantage, make his community service that of teaching people they can change their life around.

 Ouze wrote:
by fleeing pre-sentencing

But he didn't flee, or even hide. He was told to wait for something that never came.

Wow. I can get the court missed issuing the orders. Gak happens and all that, but missing it for 13 years? I suspect someone was too busy commenting on LoLCats when they should have been filing something XD

I don't much see the point now. I'd argue that sending him to prison now would be cruel and unusual (its definitely unusual ). Guy apparently took that break as a chance to get his life together. Leave him be and add it to the blooper reel.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Daemonhammer wrote:
Isnt there some special law where after a period of time a crime becomes ''outdated''?

Statute of Limitations (mentioned above) but I think it only applies to bringing charges, not serving sentence. Though fundamentally an argument could be presented that the basis of statute of limitations is that the state shouldn't be allowed to disrupt a person's life for something that happened so long ago because the state couldn't get their gak together (also improves crime statistics) and that same logic can be applied to this. The state shouldn't be allowed to screw up, not notice for thirteen years, and then say "oops we forgot."

It is a bit surprising that convicted armed robbers are allowed to go free from the court and expected voluntarily to present themselves for imprisonment at some unspecified later date.

In the UK, when you are charged with a serious violent crime, you are generally held on remand until after sentencing, when you are transferred to prison.

The state is fumbling badly on this one. It might be interesting to do a study on this man instead and see what can be learned from his circumstance and have him repay his debt that way.

Well the governor could easily just issue him a pardon...

chaos0xomega wrote:
Well the governor could easily just issue him a pardon...

There's no reason not to according to this report. Hope the governor has brains and compassion enough to, if this is all there is to the story.

Could be taken as anecdotal evidence that we don't need prison sentences at all

Relapse wrote:

chaos0xomega wrote:
Well the governor could easily just issue him a pardon...

There's no reason not to according to this report. Hope the governor has brains and compassion enough to, if this is all there is to the story.

Because the Governor is smart and unlike you is not SOFT ON CRIME !!!

Yikes. You people, all this "Rehabilitation" nonsense. It's like you don't even understand how the world really works, or what's really good for society. Next you'll want to be challenging common sense legislation, like long mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenses. God. It's like you don't want our prisons to be full or something. Do you hate America?

Do you hate America?

It's not that I want to kill American... It's- It's just that, I don't want America to be alive, anymore.

Stewie just said that

 LordofHats wrote:

Do you hate America?

It's not that I want to kill American... It's- It's just that, I don't want America to be alive, anymore.

Stewie just said that

Sounds like Stewie needs some time in prison. Maybe after he spends time with criminals, he'll see that now he's the exactly the kind of person he doesn't want out with the streets with himself.

 Ahtman wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
by fleeing pre-sentencing

But he didn't flee, or even hide. He was told to wait for something that never came.

I was referring to Roman Polanski;

This guy is in more of a Roman Polanski-type situation, whereby if he had done his time, he'd be done by now but by fleeing pre-sentencing he's legally in limbo.

as an analogy for how his "prison time clock" never really started, legally speaking. Roman Polanski can't be pardoned because he never showed up for his sentencing, and this guy can't be pardoned because he never served his sentence (although he didn't flee, either). I worded it poorly.

He got married, he served his time...

 Chongara wrote:
. Do you hate America?

Only since July 4, 1776

It's so much better to send him to prison where he'll be institutionalized and wind up a career criminal instead of a contributing member of society...

This is my state...

I think that's the 2nd time that has happened in recent memory.

My take is that if he truly didn't hid...and turned his life around... he should get commutation.

Well, with his nuts in a vice and his freedom in limbo-land, now is the time to brainwash him and use him for counter-terrorism assassinations.

Or community service.

Same thing, really.

 Ouze wrote:

 Ahtman wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
by fleeing pre-sentencing

But he didn't flee, or even hide. He was told to wait for something that never came.

I was referring to Roman Polanski;

I know, but it seemed you were saying they both fled, which I see now you weren't.

I don't see any point in locking him up at this stage because of a clerical error. In the time since his sentence he has been of good character, not committed any serious offence, and has been rehabilitated.