Mark Anthony Griffin, a Black homeless man in Bartow, Florida, with a long list of misdemeanor crimes, received a 15-year sentence for stealing a box of cereal and a can of evaporated milk, according to the Associated Press. Griffin was sentenced as a “prison release re-offender,” which applies stricter penalties since he was on probabation after more than 50 prior convictions for things like trespassing, disorderly intoxication and petty theft.
During his sentencing last month, he rejected a plea deal that would have given him a three-year sentence with two years of probation. Now the state will have to shell out upwards of $450,000 to incarcerate Griffin.
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