Often when students attend one of our shoplifting classses, they have already gone through a very traumatic experience. They were usually arrested for theft, shoplifting or petty larceny. Maybe they were booked and maybe they had to spend some time in jail before they were bailed out.

But now they have to face the actual charges. What did they do wrong? They know that theft or shoplifting is "illegal" but what specifically is restricted by state laws, they aren't totally sure. They also don't know if they might be convicted of a misdemeanor or felony and how much potential jail time they might be looking at it. Sometimes it can be quite helpful to know because they can possibly work with the court or their attorneys on a good strategy to deal with the potential violation.

A local criminal attorney should know the ins and outs of the theft laws, but if they have a public defender, that lawyer might not have the time to answer all their questions. So it's better to be prepared before talking to a lawyer and certainly before facing the judge.

Beyond the possible criminal penalties, I often have students ask me what are the civil penalties. Meaning if they shoplifted an item what can the shopkeeper do to them? Believe it or not, states have quite different penalties. 

This is why we've created a resource, the State Theft Law Guide. This easy to navigate guide tells you exactly what the laws are in your state so you have full knowledge if you  are involved in legal situation involving theft, shoplifting, or petty larceny. Of course this is only a guide and state laws change all the time, but it can be a useful resource to let you get started.