What a great message to send to potential criminals.

Embezzle from your employer and all it takes to avoid jail time is returning the money and writing a couple letters of apology.

Former MSU School of Journalism employee Raye Grill will take this plea bargain for the embezzlement charges against her. The bargain also stipulated the felony will remain on Grill's record.

In exchange for pleading guilty to embezzling from the school, the other embezzlement charge Grill was facing was dismissed, and jail time was left out of the agreement.

She would have faced up to 10 years of jail time.

"She's happy to do it," said Thomas Clement, Grill's attorney, in regard to Grill having to write her letters of apology.

You don't say? Apologize, or go to jail for 10 years. We'd be happy with the letters too.

Think about what this means.

If you get caught stealing money from your employer, all you have to do is return it and say "I'm sorry."

Now that's deterrence.

This is just the latest example of how white-collar crime can be treated differently within our justice system.

Martha Stewart was convicted of lying in regard to a stock trade she made, and received five months in prison. This punishment was so severe, it cost her a spot in Fortune's list of most powerful women in 2004.

But don't worry, she is back at No. 21 this year. Five months in jail, and life seems to be back to normal for Stewart.

According to Grill's prosecutor, the plea agreement was a good option because it would allow Grill to remain free, which will mean she can pay the $69,076.62 in restitution she owes to the school and to the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association more quickly.

Restitution is great and should be included in any embezzlement case, but should getting it as soon as possible be the primary goal?

Apparently, the money has been taken since 1998. The school functioned for seven years without it and there isn't a huge rush for it to be returned now.

It is likely Grill's social class, character and seemingly good standing in the community played a role in the plea agreement she received, but none of this changes the fact that she admitted to stealing thousands of dollars.

If someone were to break into a store at night and steal thousands of dollars of cash or merchandise, they probably would be looking at jail time.

What's the difference?

Clement put it best when he said, "It's a favorable deal for my client. We got a 10-year felony dismissed."

Dismissed in exchange for two letters of apology and for her to pay back the interest-free "loan."

Now that's justice.