Have you ever been arrested for stealing or shoplifting? If so, the judge probably ordered you to take a theft class and probably serve some community service as well.

As a counselor for both in class and online theft classes I may have had you in one of my classes. If courts throughout the country are mandating you take a stop theft class, the big question remains – why. What are your thoughts?

What the courts are trying to do is make sure you both realize what you have done is wring and illegal, as well as keep you from stealing again.

The first time I was sentenced to a class for breaking the law was traffic school. Have you ever been to traffic school? Initially I thought it was a big waste of time. It was so boring having to sit in a small, cramped hotel room and listen to the material. I had tried to tune it out, but eventually it sunk in.

I would be willing to bet that after attending traffic school you were both more aware of the laws and a more careful driver, right. I thought so.

The same is true for a theft class online. They not only make the offender think about their offense, but also teach valuable techniques so that students can self-monitor their behavior and address problematic thinking before problematic behavior occurs.