Petty shoplifters have an impact—not only on retailers, but on the community as a whole. These cases cause a drain on police resources and backlogs on court dockets. To address this, retailers are now taking steps to reduce some of that impact with the Crime Accountability (C.A.) Partnership Program. The product is a collaboration between Turning Point Justice (TPJ) and the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP). The program saved more than $30 million in resources for their police partners in 2016 and is already on track to save an additional $60 million in resources in 2017. In this EyeOnLP video, you’ll hear from experienced and recognized experts like Mike Lamb, LPC, and Scott Glenn, JD, LPC, who talk about why an alternative to criminal prosecution makes sense with low-risk, first-time offenders.
Designed by criminal justice and loss prevention professionals and provided free of charge to partnering retailers, the Crime Accountability Partnership Program employs TPJ’s Cloud-Justice technology and NASP’s court-approved educational programs to provide retailers and their police and criminal justice partners with a coordinated, constructive, high-impact yet cost-effective response to misdemeanor shoplifting.
The benefits are many. In addition to reducing the drain on police resources caused by petty shoplifting, it reduces court case backlogs and frees up valuable public and private resources, enabling police, as well as retail personnel, to focus on more significant issues. In choosing to volunteer for the program, qualified participants avoid criminal prosecution and instead experience a second chance at a better future with the opportunity to learn from their mistake and know that the issue has been resolved and put behind them. Of greatest benefit is the proven, positive effects on recidivism, good for the retailer and the offender, with participants in this program benefitting from the educational experience and choosing to make better decisions in the future in not repeating the offense.