[AndyJPartridge]

The thing is, it's not just the financial cost of a theft, it's the emotional and practical cost too.

Having had 5 laptops stolen in one hit - because I was updating staff that weekend and the guy got lucky - the cost of changing passwords, and the nagging feeling I may have missed something somewhere and I may get hit with another internet theft....

Then the feeling that the guy(s?) were in my house while my partner and I were sleeping. Na. People who do this need to be taken out of society.

For the speeding point, you can kill people at 30mph if something goes wrong with the car or you do something stupid.

[Livven]

You just seriously advocated having someone who stole your laptop locked up in prison for life because of the inconvenience they caused you?

Wow.

[Jtsummers]

Best I can tell it's an issue of philosophy. Many people in the US (my people, lucky me) are fearful and angry. We really seem to like our vengeance (consider the country music songs that were coming out post 9/11 as we entered Afghanistan and Iraq). When it comes to crime we don't bother with "rehabilitation". When it comes to mental health, that's clearly a lack of personal responsibility. If I can tell that they aren't really a knight in King Arthur's court on a holy quest, then they should be able to realize it too. Lock them up, throw away the key.