> You know Singapore unabashedly beats the shit out of thieves, right?

They don't...first offense you basically get off with a warning. Recent headlines was a case of Australian school girls shoplifting [1]. Although they're foreigners, same goes for locals.

[1] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/6-austra...

I have started to think that corporal punishment might not be actually worst option.

I recall seeing research that immediacy and inevitability of punishment have way more effect on re-offense rates than harshness of the punishment.

That said, incarcerating people is liable to immerse them into the hardened criminal culture, which is not productive and calls for some alternatives.