Dear editor,

When people think of the term shoplifting, they just imagine an item being stolen.

Many don鈥檛 realize how much more shoplifting affects other people.

In late October, I made an attempt to steal some items from Superstore and was caught. After my meeting at the Justice Centre, I came to understand and see more clearly the bigger picture, and spent some time thinking about my actions and their effect on everyone involved.

Think of all the products stolen from Superstore in one day, now think of how much money they would cost in total, then minus that from Superstore鈥檚 total sum. In one year, a lot of money could be lost just from shoplifters, therefore cutting back on wages and so forth on the amount of workers able to be hired.

By stealing, people are indirectly creating fewer jobs and putting more families in the Comox Valley at risk of poverty.

My own family is another subject of concern regarding this issue.

My younger siblings look up to me and follow my example, and if it is a negative one, it may lead to bad decision-making. The people in my family have trust for one another, and that trust is broken by people鈥檚 wrong decisions and negative choices.

Shoplifting does not benefit anyone, in any way; it in fact deprives us of valuable resources. People need to make the right decisions and think clearly. They have to realize that stealing is the wrong thing to do and all it does is hurt people in your community.

So when you walk in a store, imagine all the people putting in effort to make things work, and remember to help in making a safe, trustworthy community.

Name withheld

This public letter of apology was submitted as one of the outcomes of a recent resolution conference held at the Community Justice Centre.