> Do you have empirical evidence that we "habitually coddle criminals"?

In this context, we're talking about SF, not the US at large. Yes, SF is well known for coddling criminals. This is, obviously, a qualitative characterization -- it cannot be proven empirically. But we can point at characteristic examples:

https://ktxs.com/news/nation-world/san-francisco-ends-5m-alc...

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s-f-start-allowing-ev...

https://www.denvergazette.com/2024/01/27/california-finally-...

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/yes-its-ok-to-be-mad-about-cri...

(There's some hope it's improving very recently or in the near future.)

> The united states locks up more of their people than pretty much any other nation...

We (the US) have more criminality than many peer nations. We either lock them up, or let them be free despite doing crimes.