Theft is a broad subject, and it is important for everyone to know all the forms of theft; that way they can ensure their safety from all kinds of criminals, such as Kleptomaniacs, Identity Thieves, and much more.
When most people think about theft, the first thing to come to their mind is a person stealing an item from someone or somewhere, such as a television set, a candy bar, or a radio. Theft is a lot more different and broader than most people imagine. Such portions of theft that people don't think of, when they think of theft include: kleptomania - a disorder that compels one to steal, identity theft - the fraudulent act to receive a gain of some sort from someone, and heists - the masterminded theft of great valuables. Although all of these are considered theft, they are all very different from each other, as they each posses their own qualities, which makes them different than the traditional perception of theft. Understanding each of these variations of theft is important to your safety and wellbeing; if you think no farther beyond theft than the mere stealing of a television set, then you are at risk. Each of these three portions of theft will be analyzed in all perspectives to give you the true knowledge and understanding of theft.
Kleptomania is one of those portions of theft that people generally don't even know about. Kleptomania is a mental disorder that compels the person to steal things.
[1] These things are generally of little or no value, such as pens, sugar packets, paper clips, small toys, etc. In most cases, kleptomaniacs are not even aware that they are committing the offense, as it is their subconscious mind at work. This disorder usually begins during puberty and usually lasts until late adulthood. In some more severe cases, the disorder may never stop and lasts throughout the person's life. [2] Although a kleptomaniac may steal uncontrollably without realization, judicial courts generally do not accept kleptomania as an affirmative defence. [3] There is no cure for kleptomania; the best that can be done to fight the disorder is treatment, which consists of medications such as: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, mood stabilizers and opioid antagonists. [4] These medications have been proven to help lower the urge to steal items. However, the key factor that makes kleptomania a unique part of theft is the lack of the mens rea, which is, "[the] guilty knowledge or intention to commit a prohibited act." [5] The absence of the mens rea means that the kleptomaniac is not criminally responsible, which is what makes kleptomania a special portion of theft, as it is generally not considered an affirmative defence like other crimes of theft that have an absence of the mens rea. Offenders of theft, who do suffer from kleptomania, are, in most cases, still subject to the consequences of the theft; however, the charges are generally lesser than the average theft, and the offender would receive a small summary conviction, if not an absolute discharge, as majority of items stolen by kleptomaniacs have little or no value.
In complete contrast, identity theft is another portion of theft. Although identity theft has been around for quite some time, it has been coming even more popular over the past few years. Identity theft, which is a form of fraud, is one of the more severe portions of theft, which carries the guilt of an indictable offense. Section 403 of the Criminal Code of Canada states:
Every one who fraudulently personates any person, living or dead, (a) with intent to gain advantage for himself or another person, (b) with intent to obtain any property or an interest in any property, or (c) with intent to cause disadvantage to the person whom he personates or another person, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or an offence punishable on summary conviction. [6]
Although it may not seem exactly like the traditional concept of theft, identity theft carries one of the highest punishments, whereas, in perspective to identity theft, most other forms of theft carry a mere punishment of a summary conviction, as long as the value of what is stolen does not exceed five thousand dollars. [7] Identity theft is one of those hard to solve crimes though; when hunting down the person who committed the offense, the only identity you know them by is that of their victims. Additionally, majority of identity theft incidents are only discovered long after the theft occurred. Identity thieves get away with such crimes due to their devious techniques, such as claiming to be someone else when arrested, which leaves the victim in trouble when they do not show up to court. Identity theft is preventable by the means of protecting your identification information; this means that people should not give out personal information to public places, such as Facebook; ensuring that you only give personal information to trusted companies, such as well known banks; and the most important prevention to identity theft is to not identify at all, unless you absolutely must, as if you do not identify, your identity cannot get stolen. [8]
