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New York Man Allegedly Robs Restaurant While Wearing Ankle Monitor

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1515450587132Adam Hettig, 32, may not have thought out his latest crime with very far.  Hettig is accused of robbing a Subway in North Chili, New York while wearing his ankle monitor from the parole office.

 

The parolee is accused for brutally holding a knife to the throat of a female clerk to rob the restaurant according to The Democrat and Chronicle.  It did not take long to find Hettig from the data collected from his ankle monitor.

What struck me in this story was not the utter lack of foresight but how, if proven, it shows the limit of deterrence theory in criminology.  Such theories rely on a rational actor who contemplates the risks and punishments of a given act.  Deterrence is often found in the relationship between the rate of detection and the severity of punishment. As detection falls, increases penalties can theoretically achieve the same deterrence.  When detection rises, penalties can be lower.  In either case, the chances of detection were virtually 100% but Hettig still carried out the crime.  So much for theory.
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