Roman Kaziuk has spent much of his life stealing from others. For the next decade, the only people he'll be able to rob are his fellow convicts.

Kaziuk has 69 fraud convictions and this week was sentenced to 10 years in jail after stealing his own mother's retirement fund.

Feliksa Kaziuk, 88, and her dead husband adopted Roman when he was four years old. Her repayment was severe. He took two Oakville, Ont., condominium apartments from her, cleaned out her bank account and used her credit cards, and even stole her car. In all, more than $1 million disappeared.

Imagine what he'd do to someone he didn't care about.

Ontario Court Judge Lesley Baldwin called Roman a psychopath, which sounds like an accurate diagnosis. It would be interesting to hear if Roman accepts any blame for the thefts, as lack of remorse or willingness to accept responsibility are hallmarks of the psychopathic mind.

If he cared one iota for his mother, Roman would have made sure she could be decently cared for in her senior years, but he left her so broke that she now lives in a Salvation Army shelter.

Police report that when they visited her, they had to buy her batteries for her hearing aid so they could communicate with her. She has had her clothes stolen while living at the shelter and has a hard time eating the right foods to deal with her diabetes.

Roman "has wiped her out financially and broken her heart," Baldwin said as she sentenced him. She handed down a penalty of 10 years, which was about three times what the Crown prosecutor had asked for. With that sentence, Baldwin sent a clear message about what she thinks of crooks that prey on the elderly.

"He is in the worst offender category," the judge added.

Roman's lifelong trail of crimes stretch across multiple U.S. states and Canada. He has forged cheques, stolen property and acted fraudulently to acquire cars.

Along the way he also found time to marry three times, although none of the relationships lasted. Hopefully the women he married weren't permanently ruined – financially or emotionally – by knowing him.

Roman's ability to dupe others even extended to his own lawyer. Peter McPhie reportedly loaned Roman $20,000 to bury his dead mother and later found out that was a lie. There's no indication where the money went.

The decade Roman now faces in prison is apparently one of the longest sentences for theft over $5,000 that a judge has delivered. As a rule, jail time for property crimes does little to improve the chances of rehabilitating a criminal, and the cost is substantial.

But given Roman's total disregard for others, the chances of turning him around are slim to none. That makes the judge's decision to put him where he can't do much damage commendable.

Should non-violent criminals be locked up for extended periods? Is there any hope of changing Roman's attitude?