Legal Definitions - theft

Definition: Theft is when someone takes something that belongs to someone else without permission and with the intention of keeping it for themselves. This is also called larceny. Theft can be divided into two categories: grand theft and petty theft. Grand theft is when the stolen item is worth a lot of money or is a valuable item like a car or a gun. Petty theft is when the stolen item is not worth as much.

Examples:

• Someone steals a purse from a woman's shopping cart while she's not looking. This is an example of petty theft because the value of the stolen item is not very high.
• Someone breaks into a jewelry store and steals a diamond necklace worth $10,000. This is an example of grand theft because the stolen item is worth a lot of money.
• Someone steals a car from a parking lot. This is an example of grand theft because a car is considered a valuable item.

These examples illustrate the definition of theft because in each case, someone took something that did not belong to them without permission and with the intention of keeping it for themselves. The severity of the crime is determined by the value of the stolen item and whether it is considered a valuable item like a car or a gun.