Unless you want judges or juries to start deciding which victim deserves a crime inflicted upon them, I don’t see why it matters who he robbed.
He was also given a great opportunity in life, and threw it away by choosing to get drunk and getting into fights, enough times that he had a police record. Society can’t afford to let everyone go through a “get drunk and fight people, commit armed robbery, go on the run, come to senses” moment.
Also, I wouldn’t be spending my time associating with my dad if I knew he had been beating my mom and she had to run and hide from him with her children.
You seem to be coming from a punitive mind-set, yet also arguing about what is best for society.
It is better for society (AFAICT from this one piece) that this guy got the outcome he got. It has a better chance of breaking the generational cycle of poverty and criminality.
Regarding associating with his Dad -- there are many reasonable reactions. Kids need fathers. When trying to understand other people's behaviour, as frustrating as it might be, it's generally a mistake to think "well, I wouldn't do that." It's often more productive to ask "why would someone do that?".
EDIT> Regarding the nature of the robbery victims ... from a punitive stance hey they were drug-dealers. Outlaws shouldn't expected to be protected by the law. From a societal harm-reduction stance ... well, they got scared and robbed, not physically injured or killed. That should factor into the reaction. Depriving the subject's child of a father who seems to have reformed is probably worse than incarcerating him because even unharmed drug dealers need the protection of the law.
Mindless application of the law is not a good thing.
You’re hanging a lot on the fact that he robbed drug dealers. What we know from his words is that he thought he was robbing drug dealers. But again to be clear, the reason he was robbing drug dealers is cause he thought they had the most money, not out of some sort of justice ethics.
Mine was the grandparent post, and nowhere do I claim that he deserves more punishment or to know what is best for society.
My only claim is that this man has very little regard for others and that his situation is the foreseeable consequence of bad choices.
He was also given a great opportunity in life, and threw it away by choosing to get drunk and getting into fights, enough times that he had a police record. Society can’t afford to let everyone go through a “get drunk and fight people, commit armed robbery, go on the run, come to senses” moment.
Also, I wouldn’t be spending my time associating with my dad if I knew he had been beating my mom and she had to run and hide from him with her children.