$60-70k/yr per inmate is nuts, when rehab & probation is a whole lot cheaper.
First, we don't actually know what his priors were, or what the circumstances surrounding them are.
Second, robbery of a fruit stand might not have been an armed robbery, but I'm betting that robbery of a pawn shop was. That makes him a violent offender.
Third, the average cost of violent criminals to society between incarcerations is $420K/year. Read that again. The DOJ estimates that in aggregate benefits and crimes committed between prison stays, a violent offender costs society $420K/year. Why? Because the recidivism rate is outrageous, and most of them are committing crimes until they get apprehended again, often in communities where their crimes aren't even reported.
Fourth, "rehab" sounds great. Unfortunately, about the only way to not be addicted to drugs is to not do drugs in the first place, because -- here's the very sad news -- rehab does NOT WORK. Only 1 out of every 20 people who've been in rehab at some point in their lives is ever cured of drug/alcohol addiction. Those numbers include voluntary commitments, which have the best recovery rate. The involuntary commitment cures (which this guy would be) are even lower.
I would have to hear a lot more about this guys story than a press feature, which I'm sure the judge was privy to. It amazes me how many FReepers think the press is dishonest about politics, but honest about the other stories they print. They aren't: they regard every story as political/argitprop/advocacy.