I've bought into that idea (with caveats case by case, i.e. evaluated by judges with discretion), but it only works when those kind of crimes are feeders into social support agencies.
Without effective social support to either rehabilitate behaviour or remove the need for that behaviour you're either going to need to remove the offenders or accept repeated crimes.
The cheapest cost per prisoner in the US is $23,000 per year (Arkansas with other states costing more). That's a lot of support you can give a person before it makes sense to send them to prison, especially if the prison doesn't actively work towards rehabilitation.
Problem is MVP prisons for your criminal population is viewed as needed while spending the money more effectively doesn't really have political consensus.
The cheapest cost per prisoner in the US is $23,000 per year (Arkansas with other states costing more). That's a lot of support you can give a person before it makes sense to send them to prison, especially if the prison doesn't actively work towards rehabilitation.
Problem is MVP prisons for your criminal population is viewed as needed while spending the money more effectively doesn't really have political consensus.