Why do people who have money feel the need to shoplift? It’s actually not just about money…sometimes it’s about mental health. In fact, a closer look at shoplifting and larceny arrests in Greenwich, New Canaan and Stamford Connecticut by top Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut shoplifting criminal lawyers and attorneys suggests there may be a legitimate mental health reason to explain why people shoplift. As a result, the best Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien Connecticut Shoplifting Larceny criminal lawyers are now getting Connecticut Shoplifting arrests dismissed on psychiatric and mental health grounds.
Exactly how are they doing this? Keep reading to learn more…
As any of the top Greenwich and Stamford Connecticut Shoplifting criminal lawyers can explain, the severity of a Connecticut Shoplifting / Larceny arrest depends on the value of the goods stolen. While you can learn much more about a Connecticut Shoplifting arrest by clicking here, you should know that when goods or services costing more than $2000 are stolen, then Connecticut police will charge you with a felony and you can face up to 5 years in jail, probation, and thousands of dollars in fines. Stealing goods or services under $2000 are misdemeanors which could carry jail sentences of up to 1 year in jail, probation, and fines under $2000. Know, however, that Connecticut follows a “Three Strikes” rule when it comes larceny and shoplifting convictions, meaning that your third Connecticut larceny or shoplifting conviction—no matter what the value of the items taken—classify you as a “Persistent Larceny Offender” (a “PLO”) and is automatically considered a felony, punishable by mandatory minimum jail time. So if you are arrested in Stamford, Greenwich or New Canaan Connecticut as a Shoplifting or Larceny repeat offender, be sure to contact a top Connecticut Shoplifting criminal lawyer before you even considering pleading guilty as a Persistent Larceny Offender. Follow this link for information about Connecticut Larceny arrests and fighting your Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut Larceny arrest on grounds other than mental health disease or psychological defect.
While there are many ways that top Stamford or Danbury Connecticut Shoplifting criminal lawyers can fight a Stamford, Greenwich or New Canaan Connecticut arrest for Shoplifting arrest (also known as an arrest for Larceny in the Sixth, Fifth or Fourth Degrees), in this article we discuss mental health defenses. There are many mental health diseases and psychiatric disabilities that present symptoms that inhibit impulse control. Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, paranoia, PTSD, and other disorders are examples of mental health conditions that will sometimes cause someone to act erratically and engage in crimes like shoplifting. Thankfully, as the best Greenwich Connecticut Shoplifting criminal lawyers know, the State of Connecticut offers a court-sponsored diversionary program called the “Supervised Diversionary Program.” If granted, the court will order the prosecutors to suspend the prosecution of your Connecticut Shoplifting arrest, order you to engage in mental health counseling and treatment, and then order your case dismissed and expunged after a certain period of time (usually 1 to 2 years). It is an extremely beneficial program for first, second, third time and repeat Shoplifting offenders who have been arrested for Shoplifting in Greenwich, Darien, Stamford, or Danbury Connecticut.
Getting the Supervised Diversionary Program is not automatic by any means. With the help of your top Connecticut Shoplifting criminal lawyer attorney, you must first apply for the program, submit to an intensive evaluation with Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and then have a hearing in front of a Superior Court criminal judge. The judge will hear from you, mental health experts, the prosecutor, and the victim of your Connecticut Shoplifting arrest to determine whether it is the interests of justice to grant you the program. Another critical factor will be whether your top Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut Shoplifting criminal lawyer can prove to the judge that you were suffering from the mental health disease or psychiatric disability at the time of the offense, and that the disability was a contributing cause to your conduct. The courts have their radar on for disingenuous or weak applications, as sometimes an accused will trump up or manufacture and after-the-arrest mental health disorder and try to back into the Supervised Diversionary Program…all the more reason to make sure you are prepared for your evaluation and hearing. Obviously the hearing will involve legal and factual arguments that should be crafted and argued by your top Connecticut shoplifting attorney who has years of experience in conducting Supervised Diversionary Programs hearings.
The Mark Sherman Law team of criminal lawyers have been getting shoplifting arrests in Stamford, Greenwich, Westport or New Canaan Connecticut dismissed for years. Our knowledge of the nuances and technicalities in Connecticut criminal law has helped us get Connecticut shoplifting arrests dismissed for our clients battling mental health issues and psychiatric disabilities. Don’t just plead out to a small fine and slap on the wrist. A criminal record lasts forever and can taint your employment prospects for a lifetime. Sometimes the quickest resolution in a Connecticut criminal court is not always the smartest, especially when you, your child or family member are battling a mental health disease or defect. So if you have been arrested in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk or Darien Connecticut for Shoplifting or Larceny, contact any of the experienced Shoplifting criminal lawyers at Mark Sherman Law today. We can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (203) 358-4700.
