Company offering shoplifters alternative to arrest sued in S.F.

A retail loss prevention company was slammed in a lawsuit filed by San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, charging it violates California business codes and extorts shoplifting suspects by getting them to sign confessions to enroll in a “life skills” course in lieu of facing possible prosecution.

Corrective Education bills itself as a “restorative justice” alternative to conventional prosecution of shoplifting suspects by allowing them to circumvent the justice system and avoid criminal charges by signing up for the program, which costs $500.

The video in and of itself is problematic, the lawsuit alleges, as it claims that the suspect was caught on surveillance cameras and then presents a choice of avoiding criminal prosecution and enrolling in the course — which involves a signed admission of guilt without a lawyer present — or having the case turned over to police.

Furthermore, city attorneys contend, the company provides financial incentives to companies it contracts with, like Monument Security, based on how many offenders enroll in the program.

Because the suspects are a captive audience and are pressured into signing the contract, the suit alleges, the company’s practices amount to extortion and false imprisonment.

“CEC wholly supplants the criminal justice system, allowing a single security guard to play the role of police, prosecutor, judge, and jury,” the suit says.