[quote=krowe] ….. If it won’t benefit me or society, I am struggling to understand if it’s simply retribution or some other reason that you believe I deserve jail.[/quote]

Retribution is one of the legal bases for the criminal justice system. Those who harm the fabric of society should pay a price. There are probably quite a few potential home buyers out there that now have the added worry of criminal retribution from people like you. Deterrence is also important – if someone else heard of what you did (if you are indeed krowe) and found that you had been given a slap on the wrist they might be encouraged to do the same. Society does benefit – predictable consequences for actions (good or bad) reinforce civilized society. You could have chosen to address your mental instability (which doesn’t just go away) but instead allowed it to worsen and cause significant harm to others. Next time you feel your mental moorings getting stretched, your memory of time in jail will encourage you to deal with the problem before someone else gets hurt.