At a lot of big retailers try to make you sign a "confession" whether they call the police or not. Later you get a letter from a law firm demanding hundreds of

At a lot of big retailers try to make you sign a "confession" whether they call the police or not. Later you get a letter from a law firm demanding hundreds of dollars or they'll take you to small claims to recoup their cost for "investigative expenses". With the promise that the amount will go up if you don't settle. This is completely separate from any criminal charges and paying them doesn't effect any outcome of that at all. But if you don't know that you're likely to pay to get them to "drop the charges". http://www.cbc.ca/news/retailers-demand-shoplifters-pay-security-costs-1.912834 http://www.cbc.ca/news/retailers-demand-shoplifters-pay-secu...