Stealing <$950 is a misdemeanor regardless of how often someone does it.
It would be surprising if this didn't lead to a substantial increase in the crime rate.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_California_Proposition_47
In SF the climate is such that officers only pursue the most egregious cases where they think their work will have results. They know the DA will pull punches and drag their feet and drop lesser cases so they don't even bother. The DA often times pushes the victim to agree to restorative justice. It's not a deterrent.
Restorative Justice can work in some special cases. We can work to make prisoners more ready for the workforce when they get out. But we need lots of support in the way of social pressure and also some brainwashing/reconditioning. Most criminals will not want to go through the effort of turning things around, unless you change them via stick and carrot. It's hard to change course. It's hard to change course for anybody.
Now, some people are salvageable. We have to get better at spotting potential and providing tools and support for those people who want to change for the better.
Real crime rates have been falling ever since they started measuring it, and there is no demonstrable correlation with increased police presence or strength/brutality of their weapons.
Probably doesn't make a big difference to San Francisco vs other major West Coast cities, since most of the major West Coast cities are also in California.
There was an article last year about how the thieves know to stay in san francisco county and not cross into san mateo county, because the chances of being arrested and prosecuted is much higher in san mateo county
I live in SF, and it's pretty dangerous. So whatever stats you're quoting don't apply to SF.
I suggest you watch some of the antifa/BLM downtown attacks on pedestrians to see what lawlessness looks like - that happens daily in SF.
Theft should be punished in the strongest forms possible so no one even thinks about doing it. Minimum 1 year in prison for stealing anything.
Convince me otherwise.
Let's say someone steals a $300 purse or a $30000 car. Nobody needs either a $300 purse or a $30000 car. But let's say someone steals $10 of food from a grocery store. They may legitimately need that. (Or they may just have poor self-control.) If someone legitimately needs food, I could bend my mind far enough to call that "excusable".
Allowing stealing is not tackling the problem head-on and instead squirming on a morally questionable line and thereby breeding crime and ill in the society.
In the meantime, though, society doesn't do that, at least not consistently enough. So in the current circumstances, I still have some compassion for someone in genuine need who steals food.
So, let me get this straight and state curtly - A city allows crime, then complains about rising crime!?
May be people of this city should question their understanding of how to run a good society.
This is why laws need to be enforced uniformly.
If you allow that, you will soon enough be without grocery stores!!!
Many cases 90+% ([0], [1]) are plea-bargained out, e.g. the accused couldn't afford representation, the public defender takes the offer, etc.
Some of these people were innocent but serving a year in prison will make it hard for them to rebuild their lives.
[0] https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/prisons-are-packed-bec...
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/innocen...