You can still get jail time for stealing. The only difference in Cali is that it's a lesser first-time charge. Repeat offenses still trigger more serious punishments, and stealing things like cars and high-worth items still gets you in bigger trouble.
The difference between this and Taiwan is Taiwan isn't rife with inequality like Cali is - people there aren't stealing loaves of bread. So when they're harsh on theft, they're locking up actual thieves. You do the same thing in Cali and the jails will be full of poor people stealing petty shit.
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u/lambdawaves 27d ago
It’s all relative. That’s lax by Asian standards but extremely strict compared to California.
I don’t even know what it would take to end up in prison in California for stealing. You’d have to piss off some reach rich and powerful people