Parliamentary panel to consider toughening penalties for thieves

Lawmakers want to increase penalties for shoplifters amid a post-pandemic surge, but advocates warn tougher penalties won’t deter crime. (Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

House lawmakers will consider increased penalties for shoplifters and new restrictions on gift card sales on Thursday amid a recent increase in retail thefts.

bipartisan bill Before the House, the Public Safety and Preparedness Committee will increase penalties for leading shoplifting rings, allow extended sentences for repeat offenses and upgrade assaults on retail workers to a more serious charge, among other things.

“It’s probably not the final solution, but it’s definitely a step we need to take to prevent things like this from happening, because it’s a real problem,” said Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean), who introduced the bill. The lead sponsor of the Republicans.

The legislation would allow for extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within a 10-year period or within 10 years of release from prison, and would allow sentences for leading a retail crime ring to be increased to 10 to 20 years in prison.

It also allows law enforcement to collect the cost of goods stolen by suspects within a year, allowing prosecutors to pursue more serious charges against serial burglars regardless of prior convictions.

The proposal to increase penalties coincides with a recent increase in theft cases following the pandemic. According to crime statistics maintained by the FBI, law enforcement reported an increase in the number of burglaries from 91,942 in 2019 to 102,724 in 2023, an epidemic decline that resulted in overall crime declines in 2020 and 2021.

The bill’s sponsors hoped the tougher penalties would deter shoplifters, especially since neighboring states such as New York and Pennsylvania have increased their own penalties for retail theft, forcing Sauickie’s shoplifters to target New Jersey.

“This is an issue that I think we need to address. “I think it’s going to get worse in New Jersey because our surrounding states have taken up this issue and made penalties for organized retail theft even worse, which means New Jersey has become a low-hanging fruit,” he said.

Another provision would expand assault charges against retail workers performing their duties, mirroring protections for first responders, bus drivers and judges, among others. The bill also makes clear that reselling stolen goods online falls under the state’s definition of fencing.

Some have warned that higher sentences are unlikely to deter crime, noting that the real or perceived likelihood of being caught is more likely to stop crime, noting U.S. Department of Justice research that finds prison sentences allow some criminals to become more sophisticated in their methods.

“There is no data to support that very long sentences are useful as a deterrent. “This sounds like the same logic as three-strikes laws and mandatory minimums if people go away for long periods of time,” said Sarah Fajardo, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

New Jersey lawmakers recently approved legislation that increases penalties for a range of crimes; car thefts, some theftsAnd attacks involving bodily fluids Fajardo said they were “reaching for old, outdated policies rather than proven solutions.”

Increasing education funding, housing availability and mental health treatment options would go further in reducing crime, he said.

Ashanti Jones, a policy analyst with the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice’s criminal justice reform program, said reducing poverty would also help reduce crime by eliminating the financial need that drives some people to steal.

“We have to realize that when we’re talking about theft here, we’re talking about poverty, and we have to address that somehow. “This does not mean that there is no liability,” he said. “We need to think about what will actually solve the problem: How can we get crime to decrease? “Increasing penalties will not achieve this.”

The bill also includes other provisions aimed at reducing gift card fraud. Retailers that carry gift cards will be required to train their employees on how to spot fraudulent attempts involving gift cards and how to post notices highlighting the risks of such fraud.

More extensive packaging will be required for gift cards that do not have a chip feature, are proprietary to the retailer selling them, or are stored in a location accessible only to employees. It also calls for stricter records of gift card sales to third-party merchants and requires gift card issuers to provide evidence of theft to law enforcement upon law enforcement receiving a formal report.

“We don’t try to over-regulate it either. That being said it’s just a big problem. There needs to be training on spotting gift card fraud,” Sauickie said.

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