Have you ever been arrested where drugs and theft were involved? If so, the judge probably ordered you to take an online theft class.
As a counselor for both in class and online theft classes I may have had you in one of my classes. If courts throughout the country are mandating you take a stop theft class, the big question remains – why. What are your thoughts?
The Penal System
Think about our penal system for a moment. What is its primary purpose? If you guessed to punish – you would be wrong! No the primary purpose of our penal system is to … rehabilitate!
Rehabilitation is the primary reason courts throughout the United States send theft offenders to a stop theft class. There are some who poo poo the idea that an educational class will help. But believe me – they do.
The human brain is a fascinating thing. It is powerful enough to convince us of anything. It can convince us we don’t have addiction issues and it can convince us that there is justification for our drug use and even DUI and shoplifting behavior.
More importantly, our brains can convince us that we have a problem and completely ceasing our problematic theft behavior is the right step. That can happen in your first online theft class, or in your sixth, or 10th. Eventually, the brain will lead you to the right choice. That is why courts make theft offenders take theft classes.