"In California, a misdemeanor, by definition, is a criminal offense for which the maximum penalty is no more than 364 days in county jail and a fine of not more than $1,000.00."
I think that 364 days in the county jail is more than enough to deter people from shoplifting, etc. So the problem isn't the penalty; the problem is that the laws aren't enforced.
I also don’t have big issues with the felony/misdemeanor transition, but the cop in my family does.
> The problem is that the laws aren’t enforced
I would argue that legal punishments only work well when they are consistent and swift. The US legal system has failed on both accounts. Violent crime closure rates are abysmal, and the end of that funnel is just that someone was charged, not the right person being convicted.
In practice, the IS legal system depends on leaning hard on anyone who might be a criminal (especially with bail bonds, the slow time to trial, the failure of public defenders to handle their caseload competently, and the overwhelming dependency on plea bargaining — which was unethical in this country until after the Civil War).
Also, saying “the laws aren’t being enforced” seems naïve to who isn’t enforcing the laws and why.
I think that 364 days in the county jail is more than enough to deter people from shoplifting, etc. So the problem isn't the penalty; the problem is that the laws aren't enforced.