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I don't want to incarcerate a first-time shoplifter, but a habitual thief deserves to spend some time in jail, and the threat of jail will deter people from bei

I don't want to incarcerate a first-time shoplifter, but a habitual thief deserves to spend some time in jail, and the threat of jail will deter people from being habitual thieves.

ahh 5y ago
If they spend time in jail after the first time, maybe they won't become a habitual thief.
- ryan93 5y ago
  In fact its impossible to steal from a CVS while in jail.
- notthemessiah 5y ago
  Nah, prison is where they learn how to get away with it next time from hardened criminals.
  - Ekaros 5y ago
    I don't really believe on that theory. On other hand whole being marked felon thing is what really destroys the future. If you can't get a decent job, what options do you have left?
tomlockwood 5y ago
> the threat of jail will deter people from being habitual thieves. It'd appear though that given probability, an American is more likely to be in jail than the citizen of any other country, but even with this high threat of jail, these crimes seem to be on the rise.
- berberous 5y ago
  America is a huge country, with a state and local laws that are inconsistent over both geography and time. It can be true that we over jail and impose longer sentences in some places, in some past eras, and/or for some crimes, to no good effect, while also in other places, other times, or for certain crimes, under punish such that there is zero deterrent effect when there needs to be at least some.
  - tomlockwood 5y ago
    Since America is such a huge outlier in terms of jailing people, my thinking is that we ought to compare America to other similar countries and see what the differences are. Pressing the "harsher punishments" button would seem premature, in my view.
    - choko 5y ago
      You should not be comparing America as a whole to most other countries. The states have historically had more autonomy resulting in more diverse sets of laws and cultures than most other countries. If you must compare, I think state level data would be a more fair comparison.

I don't want to incarcerate a first-time shoplifter, but a habitual thief deserves to spend some time in jail, and the threat of jail will deter people from being habitual thieves.

ahh 5y ago

If they spend time in jail after the first time, maybe they won't become a habitual thief.

ryan93 5y ago
In fact its impossible to steal from a CVS while in jail.
notthemessiah 5y ago
Nah, prison is where they learn how to get away with it next time from hardened criminals.
- Ekaros 5y ago
  I don't really believe on that theory. On other hand whole being marked felon thing is what really destroys the future. If you can't get a decent job, what options do you have left?

tomlockwood 5y ago

> the threat of jail will deter people from being habitual thieves. It'd appear though that given probability, an American is more likely to be in jail than the citizen of any other country, but even with this high threat of jail, these crimes seem to be on the rise.

berberous 5y ago
America is a huge country, with a state and local laws that are inconsistent over both geography and time. It can be true that we over jail and impose longer sentences in some places, in some past eras, and/or for some crimes, to no good effect, while also in other places, other times, or for certain crimes, under punish such that there is zero deterrent effect when there needs to be at least some.
- tomlockwood 5y ago
  Since America is such a huge outlier in terms of jailing people, my thinking is that we ought to compare America to other similar countries and see what the differences are. Pressing the "harsher punishments" button would seem premature, in my view.
  - choko 5y ago
    You should not be comparing America as a whole to most other countries. The states have historically had more autonomy resulting in more diverse sets of laws and cultures than most other countries. If you must compare, I think state level data would be a more fair comparison.