4 ms·
> Retail investigators blame changes in sentencing laws in some states for an uptick in thefts. In California, a 2014 law downgraded the theft of less than $950
by Gunax 5y ago
> Retail investigators blame changes in sentencing laws in some states for an uptick in thefts. In California, a 2014 law downgraded the theft of less than $950 worth of goods to a misdemeanor from a felony. Target recently reduced its operating hours in five San Francisco stores, citing rising thefts.
I think this is an example of conflating two classes of crime. There are effectively two classes of shoplifter: the professional and the desperate amateur. The activists who wanted the sentencing reduction probably did not have organised gangs in mind. But the gangs are taking advantage of the light rules.
This is something we miss a lot in discussions of crime. For instance, laws against possession exist because of the crimes associated with drug use. People who use drugs who wouldn't otherwise cause any crime are a sort of collateral damage of these rules.
It's often remarked how drug laws are disproportionately enforced against the poor, but I have always regarded that as a feature and not a mistake (as awful as that is for equality under the law). No one really cares about the banker snorting coke because he isn't robbing gas stations to get his fix.
- throwaway894345 5y ago> But the gangs are taking advantage of the light rules. Not only that, but it incentivizes amateurs to become professionals. Theft becomes a viable career under lax laws. And crime begets poverty, so I suspect this creates quite a few more "desperate amateurs" some of whom will become professionals and so on.
- AlexandrB 5y ago> And crime begets poverty... Doesn't this get cause and effect backwards? You have no job, no prospects, so you turn to crime. How does the reverse narrative work?
- josephcsible 5y agoThe store can't afford to stay open because of all the crime, so it closes and lays off all its employees, who are now all in poverty.
- throwaway894345 5y agoIt’s a cycle. Crime drives away money and poor people are more likely to resort to crime. It’s super difficult to reverse this cycle, which is why we ought to keep a clear berth.
- mywittyname 5y agoAlso, isn't seven years a pretty big lag time between cause and effect here? Brazen thefts like this have been happening for years around the country. I used to work retail (loong ago) and the store would actively let people walk out with expensive merchandise and do nothing to stop them. So I really doubt the change in law has anything to do with this. More like 2020 was fucking miserable and goods shortages & unemployment drove people to take up lucrative careers in organized theft.