Did you know that nearly $35 million worth of goods are stolen from retailers each day? Accorder to NASP, about 1 in 11 people shoplift and there is no specific profile of a shoplifter. Shoplifting can be a big issue with teenagers. Kids, both girls and boys, do about 25% of all shoplifting equally and every economic and social group is a part of this statistic. About 89% of kids say that they know other kids that shoplift and peer pressure can be strong. Many times teenagers go out for a day at the mall and don’t have any intention of stealing, but get caught up in the excitement or thrill of it all and go along with it. In fact, it’s often difficult for parents to get a straight answer out of their adolescents about why they shoplifted. In some cases, they are looking for attention or are mad at their parents and are trying to get back at them, but for many it’s just a lack of good judgment to fit in with their peers. In fact, some analysts say that the most popular kids are more likely to shop than other groups so they can hold on to their status.
The recession has added to retailers woes and many have struck back by increasing the harshness of their reaction. It’s a humiliating experience that can lead to arrest, handcuffing, and being taken to the local jail. Parents are summoned to pick their kids up and sometimes the adolescent will wait in a cell. Then first offenders can generally expect fines, community service work and theft education classes as punishment and deterrent to future thefts.
A highly acclaimed way to be proactive as a parent in this era is to give your teenager the opportunity to take a shoplifting and theft diversion class before they get involved in this behavior. It’s the same as with alcohol and drugs, the more information we can arm our kids with, the better chance they will have to make good decisions. Teenagers who take theft classes will be introduced to course content that covers topics such as why people steal, empathy training and victim awareness, stress management skills and communication skills to avoid peer pressure. It’s important for adolescents to understand how this behavior affects society as a whole and what kind of repercussions they are looking at if caught.
Online theft classes are a great way to provide this education to our teenagers. They are already fluent in and enjoy using the computer, so presenting a class in this format is interesting and engaging to them. It helps the parent because you can provide the educational material to them without having to add another “after school activity” to your day. Once you enroll, the class is available to your teen at any time of the day or night. It’s completely self-paced so they can choose to login and out whenever they have free time.
Online theft and shoplifting classes are designed to fulfill court requirements. If your child has already been cited for a theft offense and is looking to take a class, simply check with your court system to see if they can be completed online. If so, once the class has been successfully finished, a certificate of completion is sent to you. This is the paperwork to show the court that proves the educational requirement was accomplished.
Have your teenager take an online theft and shoplifting class to arm them with the knowledge they need to avoid peer pressure!
