Thievery

Thievery is a worldwide issue; it happens everywhere. Back in the olden times, people who were caught stealing would lose a hand when caught. Nowadays, the punishment is not as harsh. I don't know for sure if this is a fact or not, but it seems to me as though stealing has been occurring more often. Also, I do not know if there is a ratio set up for the gender that steals more often, but it seems all my girl friends steal and my guy friends do not... (Probably just a coincidence)

Shoplifting is a fairly common crime. It's so common, that I can literally go into a store and observe a person doing it. Stealing seems to occur a lot at the Columbia Mall. It's easy to witness someone shoplifting from stores like Hot Topic and Spencers. There are small pieces of merchandise in the back of both stores; easy to slip into a pocket or purse. With so many people stealing, I'm sure it gets rather frustrating for the store owners. 

People probably shoplift so frequently because they're not afraid of the consequences they would have to face; if they were to get caught. Again, take the Columbia Mall for example-- Some stores just kick out shoplifter and give them the "slap on the wrist." In other words, I've heard store owners tell shoplifters to never enter their store again. Can someone remember a single face after seeing so many in one day? Or what if the shoplifter comes back while someone else is working in the store? A good amount of people work in every store at the mall. Is it possibly to be afraid of a mall cop? Security is definitely an issue. Mall cops have little authority, if any. They do have the power to kick you out of the mall, but I do not think they can arrest you. My friends and I were skateboarding in the Columbia mall once, and were approached by a mall cop. He just told us to get out; there were no threats of being arrested or anything. A friend of mine even insulted him.

I suppose the only way to stop stealing is to make the consequences heavier. However, that starts breaking into laws and such. I believe shop owners let the teenagers off with a slap on the wrist due to their age. I do not think adults steal as much as teenagers, and if they did, they would probably receive jail time. That brings me back to how it seems that teenagers are the most common age group for stealing. I suppose it depends on how many items were stolen, when caught, and how expensive the item(s) are.

Causes of stealing vary. A person could have a compulsive disorder, or the person could be poor. Then, more commonly, a person can steal just for the hell of it! I've seen my friend walk into the store and see some piece of clothing she really likes and she'll just throw it into her purse. What if she got caught? Would I have gotten in trouble as well? Guilty by association? Probably not. (Would've acted like I didn't know her) However, back to poor people. A lot of robberies occur due to the fact that the robber lost his job or doesn't have much money. 

Thievery occurs quite a lot, wouldn't you say?