It’s called “three hots and a cot.”

To some people, prison apparently looks good, offering meals and a secure place to sleep. Especially federal prison, which tends to be less crowded than state facilities. And the wardrobe is provided gratis.

That evidently was true for Edward Juckel, 59.

On the day he was released from the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu, Juckel allegedly robbed the Bank of Hawaii in Mapunapuna. An FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court last week said Juckel told a police detective that he robbed the bank because he wanted to go back to jail.

In fact, he sat down in the bank and waited for the police.

Authorities charged Juckel with bank robbery May 9. U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Puglisi ordered him held without bail after prosecutors argued it was necessary to ensure his appearance in court and the public’s safety. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June.

It was the second time Juckel robbed a bank and gave himself up.

Marc Shiroma also used bank robbery as a way to stay in prison. Shiroma committed his fourth bank robbery in Honolulu last year and gave himself up in at least two of the robberies, court records show. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

His attorney, federal Public Defender Alexander Silvert, said Shiroma’s sentence was so long because a career offender who commits another violent crime, such as bank robbery, will be sentenced under a harsher sentencing guideline of about 13 to 16 years, and it is difficult to get a judge to reduce the sentence by more than a few years.

Bank robberies could be handled in state or federal court, and the state has been handling over more of them the past three years, Silvert said. Bank robberies that do reach the federal level usually involve people with mental illness, possibly because it costs the state more to deal with those prisoners, Silvert said.

He added that some people choose to commit bank robberies because it can lead to being housed in federal prison, which is typically newer and less crowded.

Bank robberies are not common in the islands. Last year there were 14 on Oahu, according to the FBI.

Janet Davidson, an associate professor of criminology at Chaminade University, said some people commit crimes to get locked up, but they are a statistically insignificant minority.

Davidson said many people who commit crimes are not well off and have a host of problems that the criminal justice system might not be equipped to deal with.

In general, she said, the more people have “stakes in conformity” outside of prison, such as jobs that pay living wages, education and housing, the less likely they are to commit crimes. Those who want to be in prison lack those factors and cannot function well in society, she said.

She said attention should be paid to factors that contribute to offending in the first place, such as living in disorganized neighborhoods, a lack of education and a lack of positive peers and vocational skills.

“These are things that we can invest in outside of prison, at a fraction of the cost, and have a more positive impact on overall public safety,” she said in an email. “We are better served in thinking about crime prevention and rehabilitation than in crime reaction.”

Juckel could not be reached for comment, and his attorney, federal Public Defender Salina Althof, was not available last week.

But Juckel’s younger brother, Jeffery, said by phone from Oregon that Edward Juckel has always been a loner.

He said Juckel grew up in Minnesota and moved to Oregon with his family at age 11. In his junior year in high school, Juckel enlisted in the Marines and never graduated from high school. During basic training, Juckel lost his trigger finger when his weapon malfunctioned, and he was medically discharged, his brother said.

His brother was frustrated about about his discharge, he said. They last spoke in 1983.

Jeffery Juckel heard through family members that his brother would save up money working odd jobs, then move, usually to warm areas such as California or Hawaii, and occasionally visit their father in Alaska.

Edward Juckel was arrested May 6, which happened to be the last day of his brother’s vacation in Hawaii.

“I was shocked,” said Jeffrey Juckel, who didn’t know his brother was in Hawaii and heard about his arrest on the news. “I couldn’t believe it.”

But one thing that didn’t surprise him was that his brother remained peaceful throughout the incident and sat down and waited to be arrested. The bank teller told police she did not feel threatened because Juckel said “thank you” after she gave him money, according to the FBI affidavit.

“He was always very polite, very considerate,” Jeffery Juckel said. “Never really wanted to hurt anybody. He liked to just travel and be by himself.”

A Bureau of Prisons report said Edward Juckel had been released from federal prison earlier that day. He was serving a 10-month sentence for probation violation, following his sentence for a 2012 bank robbery in Kalihi.

He pleaded guilty to bank robbery in 2013 and was sentenced to three years in prison and a $6,000 fine.

Court documents show he was released from prison July 1 for the bank robbery in Fresno, Calif., but was sent back to prison one week later for violating terms of his supervised release.

When asked whether sending Juckel back to prison was the best option for his situation, 1st Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Enoki said bank robbery is a serious crime that cannot be ignored, regardless of motive.

“What penalty is imposed on the defendant for committing the crime is something the judge ultimately determines and can consider many factors, including the motivation of the defendant,” he said.

Jeffery Juckel said he prays for his brother, who is back home at the Federal Detention Center.

“I’m a firm believer that Christ can work wonders,” he said. “I just hope Christ comes to him.”