Legal Question in Criminal Law in Michigan

Re: payment for a minor shoplifting incident?

Michigan has a civil demand law where stores can charge up to 10 times the value of the stolen property (not totaling less than $50 nor more than $200). The law is found at MCL 600.2953. It is quoted in another web site's thread:

http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6226

New York has a similar law (see http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9888).

The rationale is that stores bear costs for investigating and prosecuting shoplifting, beyond the lost/damaged property. There are security personnel costs, etc. That's essentially what the money's covering ... even though they do not have to account to the penny for the actual cost of security costs for your kid's case. They factor in the price of the item, but there's a $$$ limit (cap) imposed.

Bottom line for you or your kid: it's part of the cost of doing business (as a thief). Maybe your kid will think twice before doing this again.