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Originally Posted by Daradon
I agree with the comments here, but just wondering out loud, what if it was a violent crime like murder? Would people feel the same way?
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Great question. It's hard to say (due to it all being so hypothetical) but I generally believe that prison isn't about punishment. It's about protecting the public and providing convicts with the tools needed to succeed in society.
In this particular case, I think that the apparent rehabilitation needs to be formalized in some way but I don't think jail is the answer. The State still owes it to the public to establish that Anderson's changes are more than surface level.
It appears that Anderson has already learned how to survive (perhaps thrive?) in society and he doesn't appear to be a danger to anyone. I could easily support (for example) a year or two of probation with some sort of monitoring and counseling component just to formally establish those criteria.