I'm not saying what they're doing is popular, I'm telling you harsher punishments is how you make things worse. If spilling soup on a piece of glass already gets you two years, then some will think they might as well make it worth the time and go down doing real damage.

The idea that punishing crimes harshly will result in worse crimes is specious. It also says something very bad about the group you are defending that you think we should go light on them for fear that they're do even worse crimes.