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2 Legal & Criminological Psych. 1 (1997)

handle is hein.journals/legadclpy2 and id is 1 raw text is: Legal and Criminological Psychology (1997), 2, 1-10 Printed in Great Britain I © 1997 The British Psychological Society Kleptomania-like behaviour and psychosocial characteristics among shoplifters Elina Sarasalo, Bo Bergman* and Janos Toth Institution of Clinical Neuroscience and Family Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden Shoplifting causes heavy losses to retail trade. The economic extent of shoplifting is not known and probably varies between countries. Some of the culprits have long been called kleptomaniacs. The hypothesis underlying this study, based on detailed interviews with 50 shoplifters directly after having been caught red-handed, is that features of kleptomania-like behaviour may be common among 'ordinary' shoplifters but that all the diagnostic criteria according to DSM-lV are rarely fulfilled. Although none of the shoplifters in this study fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria, many of them reported impulsivity and thrill in connection with the crime, two of the basic criteria for kleptomania according to DSM-IV. Further, many of the shoplifters did not feel to be themselves during the crime indicating dissociative-like experiences, both of which have been described in kleptomania and compulsive buying. Our study supports the hypothesis that there are intermediate stages between kleptomania and shoplifting for personal need. As there are case reports indicating that treatment with anti-depressant pharmaceuticals may have a positive effect on kleptomania and compulsive buying one may question whether persons exhibiting such intermediate stages also should be offered pharmaceutical treatment. Further, in cases of compulsive and ego-dystonic shoplifting, the educational programme developed by Shoplifters Anonymous may be an alternative to fines, which probably have a very limited preventive effect. Shoplifting causes heavy losses to retail trade. The economic extent of shoplifting is not known and probably varies between countries. There are no Swedish investigations of this matter but according to the chief of security for KF, one of Sweden's largest multiple stores with shops all over the country, 2 per cent of merchandise is calculated to be lost due to shoplifting. Internal (i.e. by employees) and external (by customers) shoplifting probably accounts for equal losses (Ohlson, 1994). It is reasonable to believe that super-store and department-store shopping, which is predominant in Sweden, as well as in many other developed countries, facilitates shoplifting. In Sweden, shoplifting is not a legal term. In the criminal code, larceny is used for all sorts of thefts but 'when the value of the stolen object is limited' the court can sentence for petty larceny (Code of Law, Sweden, 1995). According to legal practice, the current limit is 800 Swedish Crowns corresponding to approximately $110 or C75 and fines are predominant as sentences. (In the following, all monetary values will be given in Pounds Sterling-,3.) Shoplifters sentenced by the court constitute only a * Requests for reprints should be addressed to: Dr Bo Bergman, Department of Psychiatry, M56, Huddinge I lospital, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden.

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