Should shoplifters be charged with a felony for stealing something as expensive as a pair of designer jeans? That’s one of the issues lawmakers are battling over this year in Richmond.
Democratic Senator Chap Petersen of Fairfax City says the threshold for felony grand larceny is way too low, and he’s been trying to change that for years; unsuccessfully so far. But, he says, this year is different.
“Well for one thing I think people woke up and realized that Democrats have won the last three presidential elections, so the state’s maybe not as conservative as they thought. I think secondly people realize that this is just penny-wise pound foolish. We’re spending money incarcerating people that we don’t need to.”
The governor has put his weight behind the proposal, which changes the threshold for felony larceny from $200 to $500. This week the bill passed a Senate panel with a unanimous vote -- the first time that’s happened. But even if it passes the full Senate, it still has to make its way through the more conservative House.
“We don’t think there should be this cost of living allowance for people who steal.”
That’s Republican Delegate Rob Bell of Charlottesville. He’s chairman of the subcommittee that’ll be considering the bill on the House side.
“Obviously the courts, prosecutors and police treat crimes more seriously when they are felonies than misdemeanors, and until we see a compelling reason to change it we’re not going to do it.”
Retailers say they will work to defeat the measure in the House, if it passes the Senate.