It turns out shoplifting isn’t spiraling out of control, but lawmakers are pushing for tougher penalties for low-level and nonviolent crimes anyway.
Over the last couple of years, it seemed that America was experiencing a shoplifting epidemic. Videos of people brazenly stealing merchandise from retailers often went viral; chains closed some of their stores and cited a rise in theft as the primary reason; and drugstores such as CVS and Walgreens started locking up more of their inventory, including everyday items like toothpaste, soaps, and snacks. Lawmakers from both major parties called for, and in some cases even implemented, more punitive law enforcement policies aimed at bucking the apparent trend.
But evidence of a spike in shoplifting, it turns out, was mostly anecdotal. In fact, there’s little data to suggest that there’s a nationwide problem in need of an immediate response from city councils or state legislatures. Instead, what America seems to be experiencing is less of a shoplifting wave and more of a moral panic.
…
Now, those more forgiving criminal justice policies are at risk, in part because of a perceived trend that appears to have been overblown.
“For social order we need tighter reigns! Incarceration hasn’t worked as a deterrent, I say we expand execution to include lesser crimes!” - Chief Judge Griffin, Judge Dredd (1995)
Citations Needed had an episode about this. Extraordinary bullshit media narrative around shoplifting
And barely a peep about corporate price gouging, wage slavery, etc etc
PBS Newshour covered this last week, too, saying it’s mostly a bullshit excuse (in whisper-talk).
Quite literally less crime is occurring every year. Got to keep those private prisons filled.
I think this article is alright but doesn’t quite address an important issue: for the cities that are encountering increased shoplifting, do we have an idea why? As the article states, most cities saw a decrease in shoplifting when compared to their lowest numbers before things got weird (usually around 2019, before the pandemic). Some important exception were Los Angeles and New York which have seen increased shoplifting numbers. So the idea that shoplifting has increased is technically true in at least those 2 cities. The council on Criminal Justice report, linked in the vox article, provides some of the following information on what may be the why:
It is possible that the growth in incidents in the three cities with the largest increases could be related to shoplifting “specialists,” such as those highlighted by New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year.10 A small group of individuals committing a large share of offenses is a common finding in criminological research11 However, it is unclear why a group of specialists would drive such a large increase during this period compared to the pre-pandemic period. Bail reform is one possible explanation, yet the timing of the reform (at least in New York) does not align with the shoplifting increase, and research suggests that bail reform likely has no association with increased larceny.12 Another possibility is a change in the rate at which stores report shoplifting to police. This analysis is based solely on reported shoplifting incidents; the underreporting of shoplifting has yet to be systematically analyzed. However, data from the Anaheim (California) Police Department indicate that a major retailer reported 8% of shoplifting incidents in 2022 and 20% in 2023.13 According to one report, a spike in San Francisco shoplifting may have resulted from increased reporting.14 If retailers in some cities increased reporting, then that would increase the count of shoplifting offenses even if there was no actual increase. Researchers can use the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to gauge if reporting levels have changed for crimes that involve people or their possessions.15 But businesses are not included in the NCVS sample. In addition, the National Retail Security Survey does not provide data on the share of incidents reported to police.16
Sadly, it seems that we don’t have a concrete reason for the increased shoplifting in select cities.
There wasn’t any increase in shoplifting, the numbers cited were brought by the lobbying groups.l, a study that was debunked so thoroughly that it was removed.
But the lobbyists got what they wanted anyway. Are we surprised at this point that laws are meant to bind the weak? Im guessing they know what is coming and want to imprison us for being hungry when that time comes.
Ill save my surprise for when we proles get up and start slapping these pigs into the dirt like we need to. Considering the moves they’re making it will be sooner than we think
“a moral panic”… generating this is standard operating procedure for the people in charge.
if you want to bring the hammer down, develop ‘a moral panic’ and get those susceptible constituents to go along with it.
hate brown people? pretend there is an immigration problem. scared of homosexuals? dont ya know, theyre comin to convert your kids.
“a moral panic” is the rod conservatives use to beat their voters into submission with.
*>“a moral panic” is the rod conservatives use to beat their voters into submission with.
Not just conservatives.
FTA:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference on reducing shoplifting.
Edit: Apparently I don’t know shit about Eric Adams, who was not only a cop, but a supporter of the “stop and frisk” policy.
“Not just conservatives” he says and mentions fascist cop (but I repeat myself) Eric Adams as an example 🤦
Fun* fact: most of the Dem party top is conservative to the point of being to the right of Reagan
*and by “Fun” I mean tragic and infuriating
Yep, gotta agree here.
It’s not so much that there’s a conspiracy or anything that defined, but Facebook or other non-authoritative news sources create a “news-wave” (as opposed to a “crime wave”), and legislators come across it and balk.
Sure, stealing is wrong. But there’s a limit, if you’re operating a store as poorly as Dollar General, stealing from stores that actively take advantage of both the community and the staff is moral. They were receiving so much stuff that the cashier/cleaner/stocker-in-one can’t get them out of the boxes in time for the next shipment, should just be giving those boxes away.
“Over the last couple of years, it seemed that America was experiencing a shoplifting epidemic.”
You are, it seems to be obvious to everyone except some of you in your own country.
Article: thing Parker think is happening isn’t, according to evidence
You: but it us though
🙉
“Anecdotal evidence was artificially hyped via viral videos amplified by corporations for their own ends to create the perception of a widespread problem that just isn’t supported by fact.”
B-b-b-but I’ve seen the videos! I don’t live there and have zero evidence, but I’m sure it’s happening just because…well, as previously mentioned….those videos…umm…
Gtfoh
LOL, facts don’t care about your feelings.
This is the weirdest comment. You aren’t from here, and you ignore the statistics that say otherwise, so you offer neither facts nor anecdotes. But the article is definitely wrong just because? I rarely downvote comments but you’ve earned that ignoble distinction.
People who have fallen victim to moral panics frequently get absolutely indignant when told they have fallen victim to a moral panic. Not really different than cults or MLMs, in that regard.
It’s easier to bamboozle someone than to convince them they’ve been bamboozled.
