FYI, just located this article of one of our local a$$hats. Sadly, this story is not even close to being unique:
Thief jailed for 53rd offence
Sarah Sacheli, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, March 03, 2006
One of Windsor's most prolific thieves was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday for his latest of 53 convictions.
Donald Meloche, 36, had been out of jail for just four days when he was caught Aug. 10 breaking into a Brock Street home. Given the standard two-for-one credit for the 71/2 months he has spent in jail, Meloche was sentenced to an additional 23 months, to be served in a federal penitentiary.
"I don't see too many mitigating factors here," said Ontario court Justice Harry Momotiuk, noting Meloche's long criminal record dating back to 1985, with multiple entries for every year since.
ON PROBATION
Before Thursday's convictions for break-and- enter and theft, Meloche had 51 prior convictions, most of them for similar property crimes. Most were committed while he was on probation for other thefts. One was for a theft he committed while serving a sentence in Windsor Jail.
When his lawyer noted that in the latest break-and-enter all the property was recovered, Momotiuk interjected that that was because Meloche and his accomplice were caught by police leaving the scene. Meloche was spotted carrying a bag of stolen items including an amplifier, DVDs and cordless telephones. "He dropped the bag and ran," Momotiuk said.
Momotiuk dismissed as "talk" much of what Meloche told a probation officer who prepared a report to be considered at sentencing.
Holding up a sheaf of papers listing Meloche's prior convictions, Momotiuk said, "I can't ignore this."
The report noted Meloche has a cocaine addiction, which he managed to keep hidden from his girlfriend.
"I'm trying to get my life straight. It's not just talk," Meloche told Momotiuk.
The three-year sentence is the harshest Meloche has been dealt to date. His last conviction for a break-and-enter netted him a two-year jail term.
His accomplice in the August theft, Michael Desrosiers, 46, was sentenced in September to 21/2 years in prison.
Windsor police Staff Sgt. Ed McNorton said "habitual offenders" like Meloche need to be dealt with severely by the courts.
"The repeat offenders are a big issue for us," he said. Police have conducted sweeps in the past, monitoring and arresting known burglars. "When they're in custody, our crime stats go down."
Many are drug users, stealing to finance their addictions. Others are career thieves who steal as a source of income.
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=10aee3b0-be1b-4bb4-a161-2a47c7143bb1&rfp=dta
Even more obnoxious, since most of the convictions of this tool are for breaking into peoples homes:
Criminal Code of Canada
348. (1) Every one who
(a) breaks and enters a place with intent to commit an indictable offence therein,
(b) breaks and enters a place and commits an indictable offence therein, or
(c) breaks out of a place after
(i) committing an indictable offence therein, or
(ii) entering the place with intent to commit an indictable offence therein,
is guilty
(d) if the offence is committed in relation to a dwelling-house, of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life, and
(e) if the offence is committed in relation to a place other than a dwelling-house, of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or of an offence punishable on summary conviction
And by the way "Meloche was sentenced to an additional 23 months, to be served in a federal penitentiary" means he will only do an actual year in jail. What do you think he will do once he is released? Right, go work for the Salvation Army and be "rehabilitated" by our excellent system that didn't subject him to the trauma of "marginalization" and "labelling".
(I again re-itterate the need for a [scarcasm] smiley)