一男子因偷幾塊巧克力就要面臨20年監禁?

A 34-year-old man is now facing the prospect of life in prison after allegedly being caught stuffing $31 of chocolate bars into his pockets in a US convenience store.

近日，一名34歲的男子在美國一家便利店裏將價值31美元的巧克力棒直接塞進自己口袋被抓之後，他將面臨着進入監獄坐牢的審判。

New Orleans resident Jacobia Grimes faces the life sentence after being charged under the Louisiana state's habitual-offender law, which considers past offences. Grimes is a "quad" offender under the habitual-offender law following five previous convictions.

這位面臨終身監禁的居民名叫雅可比·格蘭姆斯，來自新奧爾良。考慮到他之前的罪行，路易斯安那州根據慣犯法下達了判決。根據當地的慣犯法，格蘭姆斯已經是"四次案犯"，加上本次，他已經五次犯下罪行。

According to his lawyer, those five previous convictions totalled less than $500 for incidents at Rite-Aid, Sav-A-Center, Blockbuster Video and Rouses stores.

根據他的律師所說，包括在來愛德公司、SAV-A中心，百視通視頻和Rouses連鎖商店所犯的五次前科犯罪總額共低於500美元。

"I just think it points to the absurdity of the multiple billing statute. They're spending their time to lock someone up for years over $31 worth of candy. It's ridiculous," attorney Miles Swanson said.

律師萬里·斯旺森說："我只是認爲按照次數定罪的法令很荒誕。他們把時間花在關押一個只拿了價值31美元的人。真是太可笑了。"

In the most recent of the convictions, Swanson said Grimes accepted a four-year jail sentence as a double offender after being caught stealing a Dollar General store of a pair of socks and trousers.

在最近的犯案中，斯旺森表示，格蘭姆斯曾作爲二次案犯坐了四年牢，只因爲他在達樂公司偷了一雙襪子和一條褲子。

"It's unconscionably excessive to threaten someone with 20 years to life for candy," said Grimes's other attorney Michael Kennedy. "But the District Attorney is following the law as it's written. The DA certainly had a choice. I may not agree with the choice they made, but they didn't do anything improper."

另一個格蘭姆斯的律師邁克爾·肯尼迪也說道："因爲偷了點糖果就要判決20年的牢獄，真的是不合情理，也太過了。但是地方檢察官確實是根據成文法執行的。地方檢察官當然要有抉擇。我可能不同意他們的判決，但他們所做的沒有任何不妥之處。"