Theft

Theft in United States

Theft Definition

A popular term for larceny, adopted in lieu of the latter term by the Penal Code of Texas. In Scotch Law, the secret and felonious abstraction of the property of another for sake of lucre, without his consent.[1]

History of Theft

In a New York Times article, author Stuart P. Green begins with his explanation of how we got here:

“From its earliest days, the crime of theft has been understood to involve the misappropriation of things real and tangible. For Caveman Bob to “steal” from Caveman Joe meant that Bob had taken something of value from Joe — say, his favorite club — and that Joe, crucially, no longer had it. Everyone recognized, at least intuitively, that theft constituted what can loosely be defined as a zero-sum game: what Bob gained, Joe lost.

When Industrial Age Bob and Joe started inventing less tangible things, like electricity, stocks, bonds and licenses, however, things got more complicated. What Bob took, Joe, in some sense, still had. So the law adjusted in ad hoc and at times inconsistent ways. Specialized doctrines were developed to cover the misappropriation of services (like a ride on a train), semi-tangibles (like the gas for streetlights) and true intangibles (like business goodwill).”

Theft of Services (Communications Law)

This section introduces, discusses and describes the basics of theft of services. Then, cross references and a brief overview about Communications Law in relation to theft of services is provided. Note that a list of bibliography resources and other aids appears at the end of this entry.

Theft in the Criminal Justice System

This section covers the topics below related with Theft :

Crime

Property Crime in relation with Theft

Larceny

Theft

Crime

Property Crime

Motor Vehicle Theft

Crime

Property Crime

Identity Theft

Theft in Foreign Legal Encyclopedias

For starting research in the law of a foreign country:

Link Description
Theft Theft in the World Legal Encyclopedia.
Theft Theft in the European Legal Encyclopedia.
Theft Theft in the Asian Legal Encyclopedia.
Theft Theft in the UK Legal Encyclopedia.
Theft Theft in the Australian Legal Encyclopedia.

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Resources

Notes

1. This definition of Theft is based on The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary.

See Also

  • Crime
  • Property Crime
  • Larceny
  • Theft
  • Crime
  • Property Crime
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
  • Crime
  • Property Crime
  • Identity Theft

Further Reading


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