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     Centre for Assessment and Treatment of Atypical Theft Offenders

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 Dr Cupchik's latest book; now available!          Dr Cupchik's original 2002 book

 

     

Dr Will Cupchik,

Head, Centre for Assessment and Treatment of Atypical Theft Offenders             

My latest book, Why Usually Honest People Steal, is available from Amazon.com in either paperback or ebook.

 For the paperback edition, click here: http://www.amazon.com/Usually-Honest-People-Steal-Understanding/dp/1896342108/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366896640&sr=1-4&keywords=shoplifting

 For the ebook edition, click here: http://www.amazon.com/USUALLY-HONEST-PEOPLE-STEAL-ebook/dp/B00CGS0YB4/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1366896640&sr=1-4

 

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The Cupchik Theft Offender Spectrum

 

The following items, in Tables A and B, derived from the Cupchik Theft Offender Spectrum*(Version 4) can assist in distinguishing Atypical Theft Offenders from the more common Typical Theft Offenders. (The full version of the Spectrum may provide a more accurate differentiation.)

The more items the theft offender could respond to truthfully in the affirmative in Table A, and in the negative in Table B, the more likely it is that he or she would be a suitable candidate for The Atypical Theft Offender Intervention Program, and the more likely it is that the book, Why Honest People Shoplift Or Commit Other Acts Of Theft, Revised Online Edition, available for downloading elsewhere on this web site, would be helpful in dealing with the case in question.       

TABLE A

Yes

No

Did the theft offender steal in such an obvious fashion as if to purposefully get caught?

 

 

Was the theft offender under an unusual or extreme amount of stress at the time of the offense?

 

 

Does the offender appear to be experiencing profound shame in regard to having committed the act (as opposed to having such feelings because he or she was caught)?

 

 

Was the theft offender anticipating (or actually) experiencing any major personally meaningful losses just prior to the offense?

 

 

Was the theft offender experiencing marked resentment or anger towards his or her ‘intimate other’ at about the time of the offense?

 

 

Was the monetary value of what was stolen very small compared to the individual’s readily available financial resources?

 

 

Was cancer or any other major illness an issue either for the theft offender or a ‘significant other’ at about the time of the offense?

 

 

Did the theft offender experience any major or unusual losses while a child?

 

 

Does the theft offender feel ‘out of control’ in regard to stopping  the theft behavior?

 

 

           TOTAL  FOR TABLE Aà

___

___

 

TABLE ‘B’

Yes

No

Was what was stolen desirable to the offender?

 

 

Was what was stolen needed by the offender?

 

 

Was greed a factor in the theft?

 

 

Was the theft planned?

 

 

Was the item used by the offender, his or her family and/or friends or acquaintances?

 

 

Was a weapon or threat used in the commission of the offense?

 

 

Has the theft offender previously been convicted of any other kinds of crimes or illegal actions (Driving Under Influence, etc..)?

 

 

Was the item later sold by the theft offender?

 

 

            TOTAL FOR TABLE B à

___

___

Interpreting the scoring:

The greater the number of: ‘Yes’ responses from Table A    and  ‘No’ responses from Table B, the greater the likelihood that the theft offender is an Atypical or Mixed-Type of theft offender, and therefore a suitable candidate for the Atypical Theft Offender Intervention Program.

Occasionally even some Typical Theft Offenders reach a point in their lives that they, also, genuinely want to cease their theft behavior, but have very great difficulty doing so. At that point they also may become suitable candidates for Dr. Cupchik's Atypical Theft Offender Intervention Program.

Regardless of how the individual responds to the items in the above tables, all prospective participants in the Atypical Theft Offender Intervention Program should:

(a)    be highly motivated to uncover the reasons for, and to cease their theft behavior, and

(b)    be willing to become genuinely involved in the clinical assessment and/or treatment processes.

 Who May Make Referrals?   Criminal lawyers, crown attorneys, judges, probation and parole officers, service organizations dealing with theft offenders, as well as other clinicians and family physicians may refer prospective clients to the program. Self-referrals are also considered.

 

 

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Dr Cupchik's novel (2005)

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Copyright © 2011 Dr Will Cupchik Psychologist
Last modified: April 26, 2013