NEXCOM launches worldwide Shoplifter Education Program - News You Can Use - Navy Exchange Service Command

Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, March-April, 2003 by Kristine M. Sturkie

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) will offer the Youth Educational Shoplifting (Y.E.S.) Program to all juveniles apprehended for Shoplifting in Navy Exchanges. This program provides an alternative to the court system through the services of Shoplifters Alternative (SA), which will be administering the program.

SA, a division of Shoplifters Anonymous, Inc., is the world's leading nonprofit provider of shoplifter research and rehabilitation programs. SA currently provides its education programs and support services to approximately 25,000 shoplifters per year, most of whom have been referred by courts or retailers.

"NEXCOM recognizes that kids make mistakes and Wants to help and support those juveniles willing to take responsibility for their actions and prevent repeat offenses in the future," said Ron Passarge, NEXCOM Loss Prevention Specialist. "By offering access to and encouraging participation in the Y.E.S. Program, NEXCOM supports the Navy family by helping kids get their lives back on the right track."

NEXCOM's original program offered parents the opportunity to enroll their child in the Y.E.S. program in conjunction with civil demand. However, this limited access to a small portion of those who could benefit from it, because so few juveniles qualify. To provide this service to every Navy family affected by juvenile shoplifting, all juvenile shoplifting cases will now be transferred to Shoplifters Alternative.

NEXCOM is the first organization to use SA's free service to proactively help as many juvenile shoplifters as possible while simultaneously addressing a costly retail industry problem. Educational programs for shoplifters have proven to be up to 98 percent effective in eliminating repeat offenses.

"While most juvenile shoplifters already know right from wrong, the Y.E.S. Program takes them through a step-by-step process which gives them a wake-up call presented in a compelling but caring manner," said Peter Berlin, Executive Director of SA. "It addresses the root cause of their behavior and its negative impact on their life, even its potential to become a habit or an addiction."