To purloin a sirloin is to cry for help.

        At least it is to the oldest and largest organization against shoplifting. According to Shoplifters Alternative, a nonprofit division of New York-based Shoplifters Anonymous, roughly 22 million normal, law-abiding people pilfer. And Shoplifters Alternative is trying to rehabilitate them.

        This is not about the poor family that steals bread in order to eat. According to Shoplifters Alternatives, typically 95 percent of shoplifters can afford to pay for the things they steal. Instead, they pocket stuff to overcome depression, anxiety or boredom. Sometimes, people steal as a distraction from death or divorce, or for a rush.

        “They're doing it to fill a void,” said Caroline Kochman, deputy executive director of SA. “It's a way of getting themselves something for nothing. That's what they're after.”

        For 23 years, Shoplifters Alternative has worked with courts and retailers to help shoplifters answer the question of why they want something for nothing.

        “It's a rite of passage, or a feeling they don't make enough money,” said Kathleen L. Farrell, co-author of the book Shoplifting: The Antishoplifting Guide, and a Cincinnati native. “This is a way for them to equalize the situation.”

        Dr. Farrell, who consults in St. Petersburg, Fla., disagrees that most shoplifters suffer psychological problems. She does agree that emotions play a part in thieving, and she supports the SA program.

        “It works from a number of points,” she said. For one, the program shows youths that even changing price tags is theft.

        So what's SA's price for lifting a lip gloss? The home study course, at four to five hours, costs the shoplifter $56. The shoplifter doesn't have a choice — the courts and retailers determine who will go through the program.

        If the home course results show that the shoplifter is a high risk, then a follow-up workshop is scheduled, headed by teachers or social workers. That brings the total cost to $65.

        A telephone help line, self-help groups, self-help teleconferencing and referrals to psychotherapists also are available through SA.

        About 30,000 people are expected to finish the program this year. SA reports a recidivism rate of 1.3 to 2.7 percent.

        “It is a proactive approach intended to educate the juvenile offender about the downside of shoplifting,” said Kristin Jahnke, a spokeswoman for Target stores, which uses the SA program. Target, like most retailers, won't discuss the issue of shoplifting.

        Because of the silence on this topic, it's hard to document the extent to which shoplifting affects retailers. SA said based on retailer information it has received, about $25 million in goods is stolen daily.

        That comes out to an estimated one in 11 people stealing, SA said. Dr. Farrell surmises that 30 percent of all people steal in their lifetime. “Shoplifting is about the act of stealing, not the item,” Ms. Kochman said.

       Shoplifters Alternative can be reached at (800) 848-9595.
       

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