80% discount means more victims

The Herald reports:

A young man jailed for a spree of armed robberies in the Waikato was back reoffending soon after being released, but this time targeted stores and people around the North Island.

When Katana Faulkner appeared in the Hamilton District Court for sentencing in May last year, Judge Denise Clark gave him 80% in discounts for his five aggravated robbery charges, stripping down his 10-year, two-month sentence to one of 23 months and three weeks in jail.

This is why 80% discounts are a terrible idea (and have now been banned). He should have been away for ten years and was out within months for five armed robberies.

But five months later, Faulkner was back at it, robbing people of clothing and stealing booze, cash, and cigarettes from stores in Hamilton, Rotorua, and New Plymouth.

So more victims, thanks to the 80% sentencing discount.

However, Judge Clark wasn’t as generous this time.

In court on Wednesday, she took a starting point of 10 years and four months, telling him that was “about half of your life”, before jailing him for five years and two months.

That’s still a 50% discount! Why? She gave him an 80% discount last time, and he reoffends within months and she rewards him with a further 50% discount.