Nobody does hard time for stealing a loaf of bread, but sure keep ranting..

Tell that to Jean Valjean.

I don't know how to tell you this, but Jean Valjean is a fictional character.

Based on real punishments. And people had their hands chopped off for petty theft too.

The historical element is more relevant. In the UK (and perhaps the US) in 1723 it was made illegal to hunt a rabbit - punishable by death.

fine- Aladdin, then

Fair enough

3rd strike law? I knew someone that did 14 days for stealing a frozen chicken. Repeat offender...the judge may have been fed up for all the other crap from previous and decided to go full max.

USSR? China? Malaysia? Saudi Arabia? Iran? USA if the police and DA want to make an example?

I doubt anyone does any jail time for stealing bread unless they are habitual offender(multiple felony convictions) or its aggravated theft(eg: by force/violence). Court cases are public so feel free to prove me wrong.

Todd Hutchinson (bread, candy, and a radio -- U.S.A), Elkeno Wallace (hot dog buns -- Bahamas), Jean Valjean (self-evident), numerous gulag victims (see: Solzhenitsyn), unnamed father who got his hand and foot chopped off for stealing a bag of flour in Syria, etc.

> Jean Valjean (self-evident)

Jean Valjean is a character in a novel, not a real person, and is about as relevant to this discussion as a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk.

Apparently not self-evident!

A.k.a Eugène Vidocq

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Fran%C3%A7ois_Vido... says he stole a lot of money from his parents' bakery, but wasn't imprisoned for that (though was for plenty of other crimes).

Yes, he was a criminal since 14 (maybe earlier) -- facing his first stint at that age. It's debatable whether his reputation followed him in those days, having bounced around towns and cities so much. But he did steal bread later on in his life to -- if Hugo is to be accepted a reliable witness -- feed his family at the time. For this he was imprisoned almost immediately, leading to the creation of Jean Valjean.

From the past: USSR applied a death sentence for stealing grains from the already harvested field.

Nowadays Taliban do hands amputation as punishment for stealing(not sure about stealing bread, though).