What is your view on kleptomaniac people?
By honeylore23
@honeylore23 (1081)
United States
January 21, 2008 2:42am CST
I have encountered twice a kleptomaniac person. These two person are known to be professional -(have finished their studies already and work as professional), but then they steal things for no reason. I was intrigued with issues and so I surf the internet and find out what it means and what is the causes of such action.
In the dictionary it says that a kleptomaniac person are people who steal things which is of little or no value at all. They sometimes don't know that they steal.
I have found out too, that in United States and United Kingdom, they do not accept it as an affirmative defense. I was thinking it would be unfair to the part of the kleptomaniac person to be punished to a thing he/she is not aware doing.
In our place, the two person I mentioned above was not punished. They were reported to their respective relative to pay what they steal.
What is your view on this? Do you think they should be punished? Why?
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3 responses
@DJ9020 (1596)
• United States
21 Jan 08
I have known one truly kleptomanic person. In her case, she was diagnosed with a mental illness, kleptomania. She would have this compulsion to steal something, and most times it wasn't even anything she needed. I think they said it was a type of anxiety disorder, like obsessive compulsive disorder. She would steal to relieve her anxiety. She was on medication for it, but it always keep her from stealing.
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@manish243236 (591)
• India
6 Feb 08
I think they should be treated as normal patients. Since they are dangerous as they dont appear as kleptomaniacs outside, they should be taken care of. They also should have a separate law which takes care of those who are affected by this kleptomania and sees that they are cured of it...rather than punishing them severely.
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
21 Jan 08
I do think they should have to go through the Court System, but not get any time. This can be a way to force them to get help if they use it as a defense, because if they don't believe they have a problem, then its very unlikely that they will get the help they need to fix it.
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