Cruel and unusual punishment?

[Prak]

If he's robbing cars now, it's only a matter of time before he starts robbing people at gunpoint or burglarizing homes.

Not quite the same thing, but I had a few friends back in high school who shoplifted well of $10k worth of merchandise & cash over a period of about 3 years. As far as I know, they've just completely stopped. That's not because they were arrested and made to do community service.

My hypothesis is that rampant theft of that kind is a phase that some people go through. Whether it's cultural, biological, or some combination of the two, teenagers often do really dumb and destructive things. Then they stop (unless they've become meth addicts or something equally shity).

The 'locking them away forever' angle really wouldn't have accomplished anything: keeping them there would cost well over the amount they stole. The best solution, had they been caught, would probably have been fines and community service.

For my two cents, I used to shop lift occasionally, and may well have shop lifted at least $100 of merch, between various places, but I stopped when I had steady work, because, well, if I got caught I wouldn't only be charged as an adult, I'd lose my job(s) and have even more trouble finding a new one.

[Count Arioch the 28th]

I can forgive minor thefts, to be honest. The only thing I can't stand is when people try to justify it.

I knew this girl that used to steal, and justified it with "But it's okay, I only stole from big stores that already had a lot of money". I could be cool with her stealing and giving it up, but I don't like it when people try to justify shit like that. Admit you stole things and move on.

[Crissa]

I'm confused, how is 'he was in the company of someone with a user amount of drugs' lead to 'he's stealing cars'?

The theft of cars was in the past, why is it relevant now?

-Crissa