This week a man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his part in the armed robbery of the Poplarville Kangaroo.

His wife was sentenced to 15 years in prison for her involvement.

It’s often said that crime doesn’t pay, and this is a perfect example.

The husband and wife team will now be spending about two decades apart, all for a $300 payday that eventually led to their arrest.

Not many law-abiding citizens can say what prompts another individual to commit an act of robbery. Life may present them with adversities the rest of the population may never understand or ever have to deal with.

There are many theories as to why someone would knowingly commit a crime that would put them in jail, provided they are caught, according to https://www.udemy.com/blog/criminology-theories/.

Two that seem to coincide are the “choice theory” and “classical theory”. These ideologies state an individual knows the difference between right and wrong, but weighs the pros and cons of committing a crime. Typically the thought of jail time prevents people from committing crimes. But these theories state the person saw more benefit and had a good chance of getting away with the act.

In the “conflict theory” the rich are pitched against the poor, with the middle class stuck in the middle, typically siding with the rich in the hopes they too will reach elite status at some point. The theory points out that many of the crimes committed by the poor — such as stealing a television — lead to greater sentences than the crimes of the rich — such as stealing millions of dollars from investors.

Another interesting theory involves the influences of life events within a person’s personal history. “Life course theory” looks at the events that lead the person to engage in crime, which has made them morally unable to discern their actions as illegal.

No matter the reason, everyone can agree the law against armed robbery is in place for the greater good of us all.