Consequences of Stealing

Stealing is a negative activity which affects both the person performing the act and the person that’s being victimized. It has both personal and social consequences. On the personal side it harams the individual whose personal belongings were stolen emotionally and it also harms the individual who steals, because he’s cultivating negative behavior in himself which can only lead him and others to suffer. On the social level, it shows a negative example and makes some people think of stealing as about a way to earn money, which is completely unacceptable in a developed society with strong moral and ethical edge.

Stealing can take different forms – shoplifting, fraud, robbery, burglary, unauthorized usage of cars, credit cards and other property, theft by check etc. Depending on the value of items stolen and harm caused to people theft can lead from felony charges to death. In some cases, people are charged with community service or simple fines.

Let’s take a closer look at charges. In case if the offender has stolen items which cost less than $1,500, they are being charged with fines, community service or short jail terms. However, if the value of items which were stolen is higher than $3000, then the offender will need to serve a prison sentence and can also be charged with a felony. In case it’s not the first case of theft performed by the person, other charges can be added. 

Consequences of stealing also include loss of trust and objection of friends and family. In every society stealing is considered a serious crime which breaks the common rules of ethics and moral and should be avoided at all costs. For the person that was imprisoned for stealing it is very difficult to clear his or her name and become the normal member of society once again because the act of stealing is reflected in the criminal record for the entire life. It reduces the person’s chances to get employed and makes them face deportation if they were working in another country.

Stealing is an especially serious offense if the value of objects being stolen is expensive or high. In case there’s a confrontation with the victim during the act of stealing, the consequences for the villain will be even harder. Usage of firearms or other weapons which includes injuries leads the person performing the theft to very longstanding jail terms. 

In conclusion, the consequences of stealing on person’s life are dire irrespective of the scale of crime which they have engaged in. The act of stealing has numerous negative effects on the life of a person who steals, the person who is being victimized and society in general. For this reason, it should be avoided at all costs.