The National Retail Federation reports that shoplifting is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. Retail establishments across the country may be losing as $30 billion a year to thieves who are increasingly stealing small and easily concealable expensive items. We’ve seen an 11% spike in losses from 2010 to 2011.
According to the NRF, small items that can easily be hidden under garments and then resold are at the top of the lists. These include make-up, razors, pregnancy tests, batteries, over the counter medications, and other personal products that are then resold at swap meets or on the street.
Just this past week, Rudy Giuliani’s daughter was arrested for allegedly stealing five products worth more than $100 from a Sephora store in NYC. Caroline Giuliani was immediately taken to jail where she spent the next 5 hours. Her mother and attorney arrived at the precinct for her release and she will now have to face petty theft larceny charges. Simply put, she took someone else’s property without their permission with the intent to avoid paying for it. If the store presses charges, she will have to make full restitution, pay fines, lawyer fees and successfully complete a theft-counseling program.
When already wealthy individuals steal, the question always arises as to why? Therapists say that shoplifting occurs for one of many reasons. First, the person might feel that they deserve the item, so they’ll just take it. They have a sense of entitlement. Or, it gives the person a rush that makes them feel empowered and excited. Another way to look at it is the individual reaching out for attention and wanting to “payback”, embarrass or hurt someone else in their life that they feel has done the same to them.
If you have found yourself in the same shoes as Caroline Giuliani and have been arrested for shoplifting or petty theft, get your court’s approval to take theft prevention classes online. Online classes are highly beneficial to the offender because they can be taken from the comfort of home from any web-based computer. This means that after spending time in jail, doing community service work and spending time in court, you won’t have to miss any more work or school. Classes are easily accessible at the touch of a button and are immediately available. They can be taken at your own pace, at any time of the day or night. You don’t have to waste more time and money by driving across town to a traditional classroom on someone else’s timeline. Simply enroll in the course length the court has mandated (either 4, 8, 10 or 16 hours) and get it done in one day, one weekend, or one week, whatever works best for you!
With court approval, be sure to take a high quality course that has a BBB rating of A+, a 100% money-back guarantee and is designed by a licensed and practicing psychotherapist. Shoplifting is often a result of poor judgment and impulse control issues. Jurisdictions across the country now require individuals take these courses because they have found that fines and jail time are not enough to rehabilitate the behavior. A 10-hour online theft class uses a cognitive behavioral approach to help improve the offender’s way of thinking so they won’t consider repeating the behavior. Online theft classes are the best way to fulfill a court requirement.
