[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

> I think it is fairly safe to say that rehabilitation and counciling programs to stop shoplifting would be far more expensive and ineffective than imprisonment;

I don't see how. The cost of housing a prisoner in the US varies wildly by state, but the average is $40k/yr.

> A "relatively small loss" is quite large by the tenth time it happens because nobody got punished

Again, those 10 events probably amount to an order of magnitude less than the $40k it would cost to house the prisoner.

I'd much rather prison be reserved for violent offenders who are judged unsafe to keep anywhere else.