Usually the reason for charging a person with the most stringent crime is that most prosecutors know the cases will be plead out. If a person is charged with a misdemeanor, there is not much negotiating room and the chances (and costs) at trial are not enough to guarantee a conviction or maximum penalties. If they are charged with a felony, then a plea arrangement can be made for a lessor charge where the (alleged) criminal will get at least some form of punishment.Quote:
Taking a shoplifting and making it a forcible felony sounds bad on the surface. Something deeper perhaps?
Most companies forbid the use of knives at work. As an HES rep and medic for the oil and gas industry, I can say that the reason for this mostly boils down to liability. For example, Chevron's knife policy states that personal pocket knives are not allowed to be used for work. It is interesting, though, that a knife may be used if it meets certain conditions:Quote:
I am not able to carry my Swiss army knive to work, it maybe has a 2 inch blade as sharp as a dull spoon because my job considers it carrying a weapon to work
1) It is the most appropriate tool for the job
2) It's use is covered in the JSA (Job Safety Analysis)
3) It is provided by and maintained by the contracting company.
In this case it's almost always easier to utilize the approved "alternative cutting device" provided by Chevron (a box cutter with a guarded blade that utilizes a trigger to operate the guard).
Another interesting side note is that it is not against company policy to possess or carry a pocket knife at work only to use it in the performance of the job.