When can someone get arrested for shoplifting?

Answer 1

It all depends on the store policy. Some of the things that can happen to shoplifters are:

• They may be arrested and paraded through a store in handcuffs.
• They may face charges for theft.
• They may be banned from stores or malls.
• People who have been arrested for shoplifting - especially if it's more than once - may end up with a criminal record. This can make it harder to get a job, get into college, or do the other things they want.

Additional Information:

When deciding if someone is shoplifting a merchant follows 6 steps before deciding to stop someone suspected of shoplifting:

1. You must see the shoplifter approach your merchandise
2. You must see the shoplifter select your merchandise
3. You must see the shoplifter conceal or carry away or convert your merchandise
4. You must maintain continuous observation of the shoplifter
5. You must see the shoplifter fail to pay for the merchandise
6. You must approach the shoplifter outside of the store

A merchant statute gives the store operator the right to "detain" someone temporarily either for the purpose of recovering their merchandise and/or for summoning the police. To detain someone, under the statute, means that they are not technically under arrest, but merely being temporarily investigated. If the store policy is to make detentions and arrests, then written reports are required to record the shoplifting event.

Added: SHORT ANSWER - You have committed the crime of Larceny anytime you take merchandise from a retail establishment and carry it past the last possible point of payment. Whether it is Petit Larceny or Grand Larceny depends on the cost of the merchandise you stole.

While some establishments MAY have internal company policies that determines how they handle shoplifters, you can not bank on the infomration outlined in the first answer as applying in all circumstances.