Man jailed for 22 years for stealing TV remote control

[BarkingGhostar]

Good. Remotes are serious business.

Not according to Amazon. My 18 month old Amazon FireTV stick remote died and Amazon said I could buy another remote from a third part for ~$15-20, or buy another Amazon FireTV stick. Now, this seems worse because I had 30-year old remotes that are still working. Heck, my heavily used 10-year old DirecTV remote for the wife's DVR is used every single day by her, and me, and yet it still works. Amazon, 18 months is all you get, fella. Now, if I could only get that guy to steal my FireTV stick remote ...

 

[Paladin3]

Does anyone crying for the injustice done to Mr. Bramwell think the criminal justice system or drug rehabilitation has a hope in hell of curing him of is career criminal ways? Either we allow him to continue being a burden to society or we lock him up because he refuses to play nice with others. Or find some other way to eject him from our society to save society the cost of incarcerating him. Find a new Australia? Dig a deep hole and toss him in? Nine to the brainpan out behind the courthouse?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Leave it to the states to take a petty crime and hand out a ridiculous sentence. Meanwhile almost every food corporation is putting poison in our food (seems every day you hear of some carcinogen that's found in food such as mcdonald's fries or subway bread), big pharma is artificially jacking up medicine prices to the point that people die, companies leak personal info of millions of people, and I could go on about all the evil stuff corporations do... and these execs responsible are all free. The law system is ridiculous.

 

[Darwin333]

Three-strikes laws are generally for committing multiple felonies not petty theft.

Someone convicted of three felonies is a career criminal and since we can't harvest their organs keeping them from committing more felonies is the next best thing.

This guy in particular is a long-term drug addict who has failed multiple attempts at rehab. Keeping him off the streets protects the rest of us from theft and drugged-out violence. He might even clean up while he's inside, though it hasn't happened in any of the many chances he's been given before.

Sounds like the guy was on a "thieving /burglarizing support plan. He had to taper down though so he was jacking stuff of virtually no value, especially not to himself. What do you think a random TVs stock remote goes for on the street?

Regardless of his criminal history, over 2 decades for stealing a remote control? I don't know how anyone can justify that but then again we don't have most prisoners in the world both per capita and total number for no reason I guess...

 

[Darwin333]

Does anyone crying for the injustice done to Mr. Bramwell think the criminal justice system or drug rehabilitation has a hope in hell of curing him of is career criminal ways? Either we allow him to continue being a burden to society or we lock him up because he refuses to play nice with others. Or find some other way to eject him from our society to save society the cost of incarcerating him. Find a new Australia? Dig a deep hole and toss him in? Nine to the brainpan out behind the courthouse?

At least catch him on a felony or some charge other than stealing a freaking TV remote control to put him in jail for more than 2 decades?

 

[Paladin3]

At least catch him on a felony or some charge other than stealing a freaking TV remote control to put him in jail for more than 2 decades?

So you are not claiming he doesn't need to be in jail, just hung up on the fact that the final straw the broke the judicial back wasn't a more serious crime? Sounds like semantics to me, because he has a long record of theft and burglary. Since he has proven he can't be taught to not steal the only answer is to put him away where he can't. The onus is on him to be law-abiding, not society to worry about the freedom he pissed away.

He's eligible for parole in 11 years, maybe he will have learned an expensive lesson by then. Until then I will be happy this guy isn't on the streets.

https://www.usnews.com/news/article...-mans-22-year-sentence-for-stealing-tv-remote

"Bramwell, 35, has a lengthy rap sheet and was given the tough sentence for burglary after he refused to be represented by a public defender and swore at the presiding judge.

Judge Robert Miller – who handed down the 22-year sentence Wednesday – previously gave Bramwell a six-month sentence for contempt in November after Bramwell told the judge, “F--k you, go suck my d--k and go f--k yourself,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin says.

The prosecutor says Bramwell, after his arrest for stealing the TV remote, confessed to committing a total of 60 burglaries in the area, though Berlin says Bramwell did argue he was innocent at trial. “I think he got a very fair trial,” Berlin says. The judge is a former public defender and tried to discourage Bramwell from defending himself, he says.

"[Bramwell] is a career criminal, and when you commit this many burglaries there's a huge cost to society," Berlin says. "This is a guy who has gotten probation numerous times, has gotten drug treatment numerous times, his probation has been revoked numerous times. He’s someone where the only way to stop him is to lock him up."

 

[highland145]

this is why I dont like those Three Strike rules and sentences based on criminal history. Minor bullshit can get you put away for way too long.
Is it worth 60 thousand dollars for 20 years just to deal with this man?

Nope. They should have just cut off his hand.

 

[highland145]

Not according to Amazon. My 18 month old Amazon FireTV stick remote died and Amazon said I could buy another remote from a third part for ~$15-20, or buy another Amazon FireTV stick. Now, this seems worse because I had 30-year old remotes that are still working. Heck, my heavily used 10-year old DirecTV remote for the wife's DVR is used every single day by her, and me, and yet it still works. Amazon, 18 months is all you get, fella. Now, if I could only get that guy to steal my FireTV stick remote ...

Come fuck with my remote and you'll end up with the same fate as the dog we have.....had. I only ever found the top cover. No buttons, batteries, electronics....nada.

:colbert;

 

[Darwin333]

So you are not claiming he doesn't need to be in jail, just hung up on the fact that the final straw the broke the judicial back wasn't a more serious crime? Sounds like semantics to me, because he has a long record of theft and burglary. Since he has proven he can't be taught to not steal the only answer is to put him away where he can't. The onus is on him to be law-abiding, not society to worry about the freedom he pissed away.

If stealing a freaking TV remote control is enough to land him in jail for 22 years because of his criminal history then the last time he was convicted he should have been put away then. I don't care how you slice it, there is no way in hell a man should be given a sentence of more than two decades for stealing a remote control, something that virtually no other police would bother investigating and no other prosecutor would bother prosecuting. If it's something that literally no one else would have even been arrested for and if they were a prosecutor wouldn't bother prosecuting then throwing a man in jail for more than 2 decades is beyond absurd. As I said, if he deserved that kind of sentence because of his history then he should already be in jail.

 

[highland145]

If stealing a freaking TV remote control is enough to land him in jail for 22 years because of his criminal history then the last time he was convicted he should have been put away then. I don't care how you slice it, there is no way in hell a man should be given a sentence of more than two decades for stealing a remote control, something that virtually no other police would bother investigating and no other prosecutor would bother prosecuting. If it's something that literally no one else would have even been arrested for and if they were a prosecutor wouldn't bother prosecuting then throwing a man in jail for more than 2 decades is beyond absurd. As I said, if he deserved that kind of sentence because of his history then he should already be in jail.

There has to be some breaking point. Looks like this was it or would you rather the next remote be the breaking point? Or the next....

I still say just cut off one of his hands. Or public caning....

 

[DaveSimmons]

If stealing a freaking TV remote control is enough to land him in jail for 22 years because of his criminal history then the last time he was convicted he should have been put away then. I don't care how you slice it, there is no way in hell a man should be given a sentence of more than two decades for stealing a remote control, something that virtually no other police would bother investigating and no other prosecutor would bother prosecuting. If it's something that literally no one else would have even been arrested for and if they were a prosecutor wouldn't bother prosecuting then throwing a man in jail for more than 2 decades is beyond absurd. As I said, if he deserved that kind of sentence because of his history then he should already be in jail.

Someone like this poses a danger of breaking into an apartment he thinks is empty, surprising the occupant, then accidentally injuring or killing them when he panics. Just pushing someone away so he could run might cause them to fall and be seriously hurt.

He's had dozens of chances to stop, he's refused them all. Perhaps you're right and he should have been put away for 20 years for the first felony?

 

[Red Storm]

OP with the clickbait headline, conveniently leaving out that the man is a convicted felon with many repeat offenses. What else are you supposed to do with someone who doesn't seem to care and continues with illegal action? You up the sentence.

 

[Rifter]

Then you need to do proper research into those "cops murder people and get off scott free all the time" belief. It's blown WAY out of proportion by the media and in many cases lots of information is left out. Some just seem to ignore a lot. many don't understand how quickly decisions are made nor real threat to life. Too many believe in movie logic.

As for the 22 year sentence for stealing a remote, i thought it was harsh until i kept reading. they believe he's been stealing things for a while. they just have proof on the remote along with his previous criminal history. It shows he's not learning anything and will keep stealing things.

Obviously you can spin things alot of ways, but there are enough cases with body cam footage you can watch for yourself, its hard to spin video evidence.

Like the drunk black guy in the hotel hallway they had on the ground and were playing simon says with before shooting and killing him for no reason.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Leave it to the states to take a petty crime and hand out a ridiculous sentence. Meanwhile almost every food corporation is putting poison in our food (seems every day you hear of some carcinogen that's found in food such as mcdonald's fries or subway bread), big pharma is artificially jacking up medicine prices to the point that people die, companies leak personal info of millions of people, and I could go on about all the evil stuff corporations do... and these execs responsible are all free. The law system is ridiculous.

Well that's because at the end of the day, the judicial system is about money, not justice.

 

[highland145]

Well that's because at the end of the day, the judicial system is about money, not justice.

In this case....obviously not or he'd have been given 20 before now....in this case.

 

[Zanovar]

If he stole my logitech remote i would happily see him off to the the russian gulags.

 

[Paladin3]

Well that's because at the end of the day, the judicial system is about money, not justice.

In this case....obviously not or he'd have been given 20 before now....in this case.

It's expensive to lock folks up, plus it makes it harder for them to eventually return to productive, self-supporting citizen status. If they were the provider for a family then the problem is compounded with that family often resorting to welfare programs to support themselves.

Career criminals are a financial burden on society either way. We either let them victimize folks crime by crime or pay to incarcerate them. And society doesn't have the stomach to find a true solution to the problem of dealing with those who refuse to abandon their criminal behavior.

My idea would be go back to the working farm type of prison. I grew up near the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, CA. It was originally built as a working farm where inmates were engaged in productive work that was theoretically supposed to offset the cost of their incarceration. It also gave the inmates who wanted to change the ability to learn job skills that could land them a job once they were out.

We need to abandon the idea that serving your time is enough to warrant returning an inmate to society. We should require inmates serve their time productively, doing something positive to change whatever condition led to them landing in jail in the first place. Without a plan for returning to productive, self-supporting citizen status they are likely to return to whatever life led the to crime in the first place.

If we required high school diplomas or job skills certifications be earned so inmates could qualify for parole or early release it would be a huge step in stopping the cycle of recidivism that so many get stuck in. We need our justice system to work hand-in-hand with prisons, educators, social workers and employers to offer former inmates the jobs and means to leave their criminality behind.

It's morally the right thing to so, but also very much in our own best interests to return these individuals to the status of law-abiding, self-supporting, productive citizens. There should be no shame in having screwed up if you take the necessary steps to not repeat those mistakes.

That still leaves us with the problem of dealing with those criminals who would refuse to take advantage of such programs. For those who would refuse the education, job skills and opportunity to work and earn a legit living we would need some hole to drop them into so they could no longer be a burden on society.

Once we've done everything we can to help someone be a productive citizen, if they still choose to be a criminal then I say screw them. I've got no sympathy left for you and won't cry a tear if society decides to maroon you on an island, drop you in a hole, put a bullet in your head or otherwise remove you from society for the overall benefit of the rest.

Frankly, sounds a bit like a fantasy to think a system like this could exist. Americans have proven time and time again we don't have sufficient compassion to really take care of those on the fringes of our society with anything more than handouts. Nor the stomach to do what's necessary with those who've repeatedly proven they only exist to victimize others.

 

[highland145]

It's expensive to lock folks up, plus it makes it harder for them to eventually return to productive, self-supporting citizen status. If they were the provider for a family then the problem is compounded with that family often resorting to welfare programs to support themselves.

Career criminals are a financial burden on society either way. We either let them victimize folks crime by crime or pay to incarcerate them. And society doesn't have the stomach to find a true solution to the problem of dealing with those who refuse to abandon their criminal behavior.

My idea would be go back to the working farm type of prison. I grew up near the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, CA. It was originally built as a working farm where inmates were engaged in productive work that was theoretically supposed to offset the cost of their incarceration. It also gave the inmates who wanted to change the ability to learn job skills that could land them a job once they were out.

We need to abandon the idea that serving your time is enough to warrant returning an inmate to society. We should require inmates serve their time productively, doing something positive to change whatever condition led to them landing in jail in the first place. Without a plan for returning to productive, self-supporting citizen status they are likely to return to whatever life led the to crime in the first place.

If we required high school diplomas or job skills certifications be earned so inmates could qualify for parole or early release it would be a huge step in stopping the cycle of recidivism that so many get stuck in. We need our justice system to work hand-in-hand with prisons, educators, social workers and employers to offer former inmates the jobs and means to leave their criminality behind.

It's morally the right thing to so, but also very much in our own best interests to return these individuals to the status of law-abiding, self-supporting, productive citizens. There should be no shame in having screwed up if you take the necessary steps to not repeat those mistakes.

That still leaves us with the problem of dealing with those criminals who would refuse to take advantage of such programs. For those who would refuse the education, job skills and opportunity to work and earn a legit living we would need some hole to drop them into so they could no longer be a burden on society.

Once we've done everything we can to help someone be a productive citizen, if they still choose to be a criminal then I say screw them. I've got no sympathy left for you and won't cry a tear if society decides to maroon you on an island, drop you in a hole, put a bullet in your head or otherwise remove you from society for the overall benefit of the rest.

Frankly, sounds a bit like a fantasy to think a system like this could exist. Americans have proven time and time again we don't have sufficient compassion to take care of our those on the fringes of our society. Nor the stomach to do what's necessary with those who've repeatedly proven they only exist to victimize others.

Preach it but, way back in my memory, private companies sued the correction system/state because inmates were producing products that the private sector couldn't compete with on costs. If you want them to take over the the jobs Americans "don't want/won't take" and illegals are doing, "Hell, yes" to that too.

 

[gorcorps]

Does anyone crying for the injustice done to Mr. Bramwell think the criminal justice system or drug rehabilitation has a hope in hell of curing him of is career criminal ways? Either we allow him to continue being a burden to society or we lock him up because he refuses to play nice with others. Or find some other way to eject him from our society to save society the cost of incarcerating him. Find a new Australia? Dig a deep hole and toss him in? Nine to the brainpan out behind the courthouse?

The planet is overpopulated as it is, I say we bring back volcano sacrifices

 

[highland145]

The planet is overpopulated as it is, I say we bring back volcano sacrifices

Only if I get to make the decisions on who gets tossed in.

 

[mikeymikec]

I realize no one RTFA, but as usual the thread title is very misleading:

"Eric Bramwell, 35, of Melrose Park, had been found guilty in November of burglary and was eligible for an extended-term sentence because of his past criminal history, according to prosecutors."

He's a career criminal who has been convicted before, violated probation before:

https://www.usnews.com/news/article...-mans-22-year-sentence-for-stealing-tv-remote

""[Bramwell] is a career criminal, and when you commit this many burglaries there's a huge cost to society," Berlin says. "This is a guy who has gotten probation numerous times, has gotten drug treatment numerous times, his probation has been revoked numerous times. He’s someone where the only way to stop him is to lock him up."

These "sentenced to 20 years for stealing a loaf of bread" cases are never Les Miserables.

He could have a criminal history similar to a genocidal maniac and I'd still say "22 years is a bit stiff for stealing a remote control". Maybe I'd change my mind if he waged a campaign of terror by stealing all the remote controls in a 10-mile radius, and then demanded a ransom of... ONE MEELLION DOLLARS!

 

[zinfamous]

Growing up in the hood, I'm a fan of the three strikes rule. It's very difficult to lock up career criminals, because it's very difficult to gather enough evidence that will hold up in court, because cops ain't got time for petty stuff. I had a neighbor who stole stuff all the time from everyone all the time for years. Steals mail, steals candy, steal everything he can, steals right in front of you. He's always in and out of jail. What can anyone do? Absolutely nothing. One day he disappeared for good. That moment on was the beginning of peace in the neighborhood.

I mean....not much of a "hood" if all it took for peace was to lock up a single petty thief, right? right?

 

[olds]

Meh, all thieves should get 22 years.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

The planet is overpopulated as it is, I say we bring back volcano sacrifices

I've had the idea of flying illegal aliens over to the Middle East and dropping them [by parachute] out the back door of a C5 Galaxy with an AK and a couple of mags to see how long they would survive. But then everyone accused me of being insensitive.

 

[Paladin3]

Preach it but, way back in my memory, private companies sued the correction system/state because inmates were producing products that the private sector couldn't compete with on costs. If you want them to take over the the jobs Americans "don't want/won't take" and illegals are doing, "Hell, yes" to that too.

Think more like inmates working to support themselves and pay for the cost of their incarceration, rather than allowing some politician's buddy's company to use them as forced labor to flood the market with cheap products. That's why I liked the idea of jails being working farms, dairies, bakeries and overall self-sufficient. Any products they brought to market would have to be at fair prices, with any profit beyond what was need to support the prison going into education and job assistance programs for the inmates once they got out. Heck, if an inmate worked hard enough and was successful enough, maybe they could even leave prison with bit of money to help them get back on their feet.

But, as I said before, refusing to take advantage of society offering you a path back to law-abiding and self-supporting has to have consequences. We can't keep giving criminals breaks forever, or incarcerate them at our expense until they die or are too old to be a threat. At some point enough is enough and society has to think about how to protect itself from those who refuse to be law-abiding, i.e., finding ourselves a new Australia, leaving them on a deserted island, dropping them in a deep hole, 9mm to the brainpan out behind the courthouse...etc.

I'm all for being as compassionate as possible because it's in our own best interest, but there is a time to be firm and pragmatic about those who refuse to be law-abiding.