Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty/Robbery

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Expert: - 6/10/2004


Question
I am a writer doing research for a fiction screenplay about A 18 year female stole $500,000 worth of jewelery and money from a private residence, and was caught by a video showing her outside the house, no weapons were involved in the robbery and she plead guilty. How much time would she get and could she be released after such time, no probation? Crime took place in Los Angeles, and she is a resident of the same. Where would she serve out such time?  

Answer
Hello Sarah,

    There would be no way to accurately answer your question because there are so many variables involved such as the wishes of the victim, the remorse of the defendant, recommendation of the probation department, skill of her attorney, the reputation of the sentencing judge, the stance of the prosecutor, the sentencing guidlines of the state of California, etc, etc.  I frequentely get questions where people ask me to predict a sentence.  It can't be done.  Any other questions concerning police procedure, scenarios, etc, are welcome.

Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

Please do NOT ask questions about potential jail sentences that you or your friends may receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer or a parole officer so questions about those subjects will be rejected. I am a police officer with 26 years experience. Can answer questions about crime, police procedure, investigations, criminal law, search and seizure, traffic offenses. Prefer not to answer questions on the death penalty. Please do not ask homework questions. Remember this. The law in every state is different so questions about laws that are specific to your state could be difficult to answer. I also cannot give you legal advice on what to do or not to do in court. I have worked with authors in the past and will be happy to review scenarios or plots with authors to check for believability or accuracy.

Experience

Police officer with 26 years experience. Ten years in patrol and sixteen years in the detective bureau investigating every type of crime including murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, missing persons, etc, etc. Also taught at the police academy in areas such as constitutional law, search and seizure, and lineups.

Education/Credentials
B.S. in Criminology from the University of Maryland.

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