NCJ Number
84404
Date Published
1981
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Shoplifters Anonymous has developed study courses to deter shoplifters from their illegal behavior. Occasional shoplifters are taught to evaluate the risks in shoplifting, while habitual shoplifters are offered a more intensive home-study program geared toward changing shopping patterns.
Abstract
A 6-hour classroom program teaches occasional shoplifters to resist temptation by means of staged shoplifting incidents. A home study component includes cassettes and workbooks for people requiring individual instruction. The habitual shoplifters' home-study course trains students to analyze their stealing patterns and develop strategies for foiling their own inclinations (instead of carrying handbags, for instance, carry a wallet or a small purse). Students learn to imagine merchandise at the point of temptation as a giant 'Attila the Hun' with a large sword; 'Run from the Hun' is Defense #1. They learn to think of concealed merchandise as a time bomb (Defense #2: 'Ban the Bomb') and to mail stolen items back to the store anonymously (Defense #3: 'Bite the Bullet'). Shoplifters keep logs and grade each shopping trip on a simple point system. For example, entering or leaving a store without being tempted is worth 10 points, as is beating temptation by Defense #1; Defense #2 is worth 7 points and Defense #3, 5 points. Keeping merchandise is penalized. A habitual shoplifter can complete the program in 3 to 6 months. These programs serve as alternatives to prosecution in one Pennsylvania county. Other jurisdictions can refer defendants to the existing program or use it as a model for developing their own programs. Shoplifters Anonymous does not serve kleptomaniacs or professional shoplifters; the report briefly discusses SA's referral policies, as well as shoplifting's impact on retailers, consumers, and the criminal justice system. Appendixes include SA forms and a list of resource materials.