Man commits 15 armed robberies while on statutory release

Paulo Austinho Teixeira 

Paulo Austinho Teixeira from Portugal moved here when he was 7, and claims to have had a difficult upbringing. Teixeira is a heroin and cocaine addict who contracted AIDS from intravenous drug use while in an Ontario prison in the 1990’s. He was sentenced to a four-year sentence in 2003 for robbing two banks in three days in Ontario. This sentence was later extended to 11 years in 2006 when Teixeira threatened three employees of a Montreal drugstore with a knife to steal five boxes of Dilaudids, a derivative of morphine, while he was free on statutory release.  Recently, Teixeira violated yet another of his statutory releases by going on a massive crime spree over the course of a month. He is suspect in 15 armed robberies in financial institutions, between December 5^th and December 9^th when he was arrested, but has yet to be charged.  In 2009, an assessment made by the CSC (Correctional Service Canada) while Teixeira was in jail resulted in the identification that Teixeira had a psychopathic disorder. Teixeira’s criminal record includes the assault of a police officer in 1995 where Teixeira tried to claw his eyes out while telling the officer he was trying to infect him with HIV. Teixeira was assessed as fugitive who reoffends to support his drug addictions.

I personally think that any prisoner who has committed as serious crimes as Teixeira has should never be permitted to statutory release. Especially when almost every time Teixeira went on release, he committed several crimes. I do not believe that sentences should be shortened due to good behaviour or anything. A crime committed is a crime committed and nothing changes that. I think that Teixeira should be thoroughly assessed to figure out whether or not he is a threat to the public if and when he is released. I think that the law should be changed where a prisoner is only granted statutory release if he/she passes certain evaluations clearing him/her to be released safely into the general public.

The Gazette, "Man faces charges in 15 armed robberies committed with a month", December 15, 2011, By: Paul Cherry

Sources:http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/faces+charges+armed+robberies+committed+with+month/5867591/story.html