A sentence of eight years (four minimum, four additional) for five armed robberies of small businesses using a knife to fund heroin addiction is within the discretionary range, even where the offender is young with high rehabilitation prospects and suffers chronic nocturnal enuresis causing hardship in custody. The minimum term must itself reflect the degree of criminality involved. Courts will give significant weight to general deterrence for armed robberies targeting small businesses given the vulnerability of their operators.
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