Patrick W. Matthews was jailed in 2009 at the age of 22, for stealing a $750 welding machine, some tools and a generator, according to court documents. Matthews, who has a history of drug abuse, was sentenced to life in a Louisiana prison for his crimes.
His case has come to light after a report was released this week by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which shows the shocking number of non-violent offenders who are facing the rest of their lives in jail for relatively small-time offenses.
Patrick Matthews with his family, pictured with his young children Blayton and Hayley, was jailed for life in 2009 in Louisiana for stealing a power-tool. Matthews, now 25, is serving a life term for his crime
Matthews, who had been using meth and heroin since he was a teenager, was sentenced under Louisiana's Habitual Offender law.
The harsh sentence came because the young man had prior convictions - one for stealing from a pawn shop and another from a fruit stand while he was a teenager and high on meth.
Matthews had never spent a day in jail before he was sentenced to a life term
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2507331/Family-man-given-life-parole-non-violent-crime-stealing-power-tool.html#ixzz2keq8kLFp
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