Shoplifting As A Felony (S 822)

Presently, a person who engages in shoplifting can be punished by as little as a $50 fine. This makes sense, because shoplifting is deemed a crime no matter how financially minor the merchandise shoplifted is. We argued against a bill that would seriously exaggerate these consequences, making it a felony, punishable by five years in prison, for two individuals associated with each other to shoplift a piece of merchandise. We have long been concerned with the increased passage of laws creating new crimes and increasing penalties for existing offenses. We believe this legislation to be an unfortunate example of that phenomenon.