Why do bank robbers get a longer prison sentence than paedophiles?
Care to cite any statistics for your claim. A review of sentencing guidelines for my state shows that sex assault against a child, a class 3 felony has a range between 4 to 18 years, or more usually a class 4 felony, with a 2 to 4 year sentence range. Whereas robbery is a class 4 felony, unless determined to be aggravated (the use of a deadly weapon) which is also a class 3 felony. Sentence ranges as above. In my experience most bank robbers have extensive past criminal histories, including several felony convictions, thus making them eligible for our state’s version of “3 strikes and you’re out”. This leads to sentences in the range of 16 to 64 years. For whatever reason many sex offenders don’t have the same past criminal histories. You may also consider that sex offenses often result in plea agreements (to spare the victim from having to testify) which result in lesser sentences.
