NASP provides anonymous help, groups and support services for compulsive shoplifting /stealing/ theft, kleptomania, shoplifting habits and shoplifting addictions. We provide referrals for shoplifting therapy / counseling and for groups to assist with recovery.
"We help people who have nowhere else to turn"
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION FOR SHOPLIFTING
PREVENTION
(a national non-profit
organization)
Welcome... to this confidential section
of the NASP website.
If you have an issue with shoplifting
and want to learn more, this website will be able to answer
almost all your questions and recommend a course of action
for you to take.
You may be asking yourself some of the same questions we
hear from others:
I was caught shoplifting - what do I do now?
Will I go to jail?
Why can't I go into stores and not be tempted to shoplift?
Why can't I seem to stop shoplifting?
What's wrong with me?
Do I have some psychological problem or am I just crazy?
Why do I shoplift?
Let's start with this last question and proceed from there.
Why did you steal?
“I don’t know”, might be your reply.
Maybe it was because you want nice things, or were feeling
depressed, frustrated, angry, confused or bored. Perhaps you
were feeling financial pressure or were fearful that things
in your life weren’t working out. Maybe you just wanted
to see if you could get away with it, or you were mad at the
world and wanted to strike back.
While you probably know right from wrong and are not a career
criminal, when your life becomes too stressful you may become
more vulnerable to the temptation to “get something
for nothing”, perceiving that this might help to balance
the scales and make life more “fair”. Because
of unhappy circumstances in your life, you may feel like giving
yourself a “gift” or a “lift”, or
a "reward", which you may feel you need or deserve.
The problem for you is that stealing is hurtful to you and
others… and is a criminal act.
If you believe that you are a person who deserves a chance
to learn how to cope with difficult situations in your life
and regain your self-respect, then you must give yourself
that chance.
For many people, trying to stop shoplifting is not so easy
without some support because shoplifting can become a habit…
or even an addiction.
Even if you shoplift only occasionally and feel guilty, ashamed
and fearful about getting caught, the temptation may be to
strong for you to resist without some help.
This protected SAFE section of the NASP website will help
you to first, evaluate the seriousness of your shoplifting
issue and your potential for another incident in the future
and second, to inform you of what kind of added support is
available and where to find it.
We recommend that you first get started with
one of NASP’s comprehensive and confidential education
programs which you can complete in the privacy of your home.
The National Self-Help & Support Center is a place
for people to come for confidential and safe help.
NASP is committed to keeping all personal information
secure. Participation in any of the NASP self-help
programs and support services is held STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.
Any programs you request be sent to your address will
not be identified as coming from the National Association
For Shoplifting Prevention, but rather from the non-descript
word “NASP”. No information will be released
about your participation in any NASP program without
your permission, except to a court or jurisdiction
which ordered you to complete a NASP program. NASP
is committed to protecting your identity and information.
If you have any questions about this Confidentiality
Notice or NASP practices, please call us toll-free
at 800-848-9595.