Columbus City Attorney hopes to reduce shoplifting by helping those who steal out of need
The Columbus City Attorney's Office is one of five prosecutors' offices nationwide piloting a program aimed at decreasing shoplifting by helping offenders who steal low-value items out of desperation.
City Attorney Zach Klein announced what his office is calling "Buckeye Deflection" on Thursday, a pilot project by the national Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in partnership with Justice System Partners.
“Buckeye Deflection is working to improve lives and meet the needs of those struggling in our community while also freeing up prosecutors to go after violent and higher level criminals who pose a serious threat to public safety,” Klein said.
The City Attorney's Prosecution Division will identify low-level offenders whose crimes stem from quality-of-life factors like homelessness, poverty, mental illness or substance use. The aim is to connect individuals with community resources that can help improve their lives and lead them to forego stealing again.
Klein said these issues disproportionately affect low-income people and persons of color, which can exacerbate inequities in the criminal justice system.
Some individuals may still face prosecution, but will get access to help, according to Klein's office.
Columbus businesses are on board with the program, he said.
"(Businesses) know that when individuals have access to the tools they need to live a better life, theft decreases and business improves," Klein said.
Besides here in Columbus, pilot programs are launching in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Centennial, Colorado; Santa Monica, California and in Shelby County in Memphis, Tennessee.
Klein said Buckeye Deflection will expand on his office's Buckeye Diversion program, which was created in 2019. According to the city attorney's office, Buckeye Diversion is a first-of-its-kind program that assesses participants charged with misdemeanor crimes and creates individual plans for them to get their lives on track.
Admission to either program is on a case-by-case basis, and people who commit violent crimes or repeatedly commit crimes will not qualify, according to Klein's office.
Since 2019, the Buckeye Diversion Program has had 248 participants. So far in 2023, the program has had 24 people graduate.
Nearly 80% of graduates of Buckeye Diversion have not committed another crime since, according to the city attorney's office.
“While City prosecutors continue to crack down on criminals who have no regard for the law or the harm they cause small businesses, there is a small subset of individuals engaged in low-level retail theft whose actions stem from unmet needs like homelessness, mental health disorders or food insecurity,” said Jennifer Grant, a prosecutor who leads the Columbus Buckeye Deflection Program.
“Buckeye Deflection gives us the tools to better identify these individuals and connect them with the critical resources they need rather than throwing them into a cycle of incarceration and reoffending," she said. "The data we’re seeing shows that this program works and helps the bottom line of our business partners.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus piloting program to help shoplifters stop stealing
