NCJ Number
95644
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 53-64
Date Published
1984
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Five patterns of shoplifting were identified in a clinical study of 300 shoplifters conducted in a court setting. A total of 67.6 percent reported weekly shoplifting. Overall, 56 percent were males. Among adults, 56.5 percent were women.
Abstract
Character defects (personality disorders), not mental illnesses, were the predominant form of pathology according to guidelines in DSM-III. Financial benefit was the primary motivation in 67.7 percent of the cases. Economic disadvantage appeared to be a contributing factor in 72 percent of the adult chronic shoplifters. Mental illnesses were distributed about equally between genders. However, nearly twice as many women were experiencing psychosocial stressors. The recommended treatment intervention is short-term crisis counseling followed by education which encourages the offender to admit that shoplifting is a crime and to consider the realistic consequences of additional shoplifting. One table and 11 references are given. (Author abstract modified)