It had started three months ago. Small things at first—a twenty-dollar bill missing from a purse left on the counter, a gold locket that Elena swore she’d left on her dresser. Then, the thefts escalated. Last week, her grandmother’s emerald ring vanished. Elena had torn the house apart, retracing her steps endlessly, fearing her mind was slipping.

Proponents of harsh punishment argue that theft in a domestic setting is not a simple property crime; it is a profound breach of trust. A babysitter has intimate access to a family’s private life, making the act of stealing uniquely predatory. Deterrence: