I found this topic while browsing another forum, and thought it might be an interesting topic for this forum and a good subject for a poll.
Is it criminal to steal from criminals?
- Thread starter KilljoyKlown
- Start date
I would say no, as long as your own motivations are sound (revenge, teaching a lesson, etc.). If you steal something that's already been stolen, for your own use, then that makes you an accessory to the original crime.
Okay, but let's say you had good motivations when you stole the $10,000 dollars. You don't have any way to determine who it belonged to, before the criminals obtained it. What do you do with it? Stealing from criminals puts you at great risk. Why would you do it if not to keep for yourself?
But why should the criminal profit from his crime if you are in a position to take that profit from him?
You could find out who lost $10,000 recently. If you can't, then I do think it's a kind of grey area. You would also get prosecuted if caught, but I don't think it's as immoral as stealing from the original owner.
Criminals steal from each other all the time, because it usually won't get reported to the police for the obvious reasons. So chances of getting prosecuted are slim to none. However, criminals usually want to deal with it themselves, if they know who stole from them. Let's hope they don't find out who did it.
If a criminal steals from criminal that stole from that criminal, is it still criminal?
If a criminal A steals from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A, do they get each a sentence for the number of times they stole from each other?
If a criminal A steals from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A who stole from criminal B who stole from criminal A, do they get each a sentence for the number of times they stole from each other?
Was that fun for you? What I think is if you steal you are legally wrong. However if you are taking something back that belonged to you or a friend of yours. It's not stealing but recovery in the eyes of the law, providing you can prove it.
What "good motivation" could there be? Keeping it for yourself would not count as "good motivation."
I would say the right thing to do is to give the money away to a charity, or let the police hold it until they can track down where it came from.
If you report it to the police, how do you prove you stole it from criminals? Then what if police do arrest those criminals? Do you think the criminals won't be able to find out who took the money and turned them in? How much risky "good motivation" are you willing to put yourself through for nothing?
If you just give it away to charity, that's still risking much with nothing gained.
Since you didn't actually steal it from the original owner, the police would have a hell of a time proving you did. And you'd likely have an alibi, since you did not actually steal the money from the original owner.
Hey, I'm not saying it's a good idea. I'm just saying that stealing the money from criminals to keep for yourself isn't noble or moral. It's simple thievery.
Altruism isn't about personal gain. If you're just looking to make a buck for yourself, then it isn't a "good motivation."
To know that the criminal had $10,000. You may know to much. Like you may be to close the "thief". I don't think I would be close enough to know how much some criminal would have stolen.
An the criminal as you described is really a thief.
A criminal ~ Of, involving, or having the nature of crime: criminal abuse. Relating to the administration of penal law. Guilty of crime. Characteristic of a criminal. Shameful; disgraceful: a ...
American Heritage® Dictionary
If I knew he had my things an I knew where he was the law would be called
An the criminal as you described is really a thief.
A criminal ~ Of, involving, or having the nature of crime: criminal abuse. Relating to the administration of penal law. Guilty of crime. Characteristic of a criminal. Shameful; disgraceful: a ...
American Heritage® Dictionary
If I knew he had my things an I knew where he was the law would be called
On the one hand, plain old stealing from some stranger who himself stole something is still theft. That's just elementary "two wrongs don't make a right."
On the other hand, if you enter into an illegal contract with someone (say, to sell them drugs or to purchase the services of a prostitute), then that contract is legally unenforceable and you are not committing any crime by failing to honor it. Maybe that is not exactly "stealing," and you would have to be committing a separate crime to begin with, but various forms of fraud and theft between criminals are not themselves crimes, because the contracts creating the obligations are themselves illegal to begin with.
On the other hand, if you enter into an illegal contract with someone (say, to sell them drugs or to purchase the services of a prostitute), then that contract is legally unenforceable and you are not committing any crime by failing to honor it. Maybe that is not exactly "stealing," and you would have to be committing a separate crime to begin with, but various forms of fraud and theft between criminals are not themselves crimes, because the contracts creating the obligations are themselves illegal to begin with.
But why should the criminal profit from his crime if you are in a position to take that profit from him?
Because I'd become a criminal like them, if you can't understand that I'm sorry. I'd rather let whatever happens , happen to them without being someone who does anything to them for what they did. I'll just hope that one day they will get caught and serve time and make compensation for what they stole.
I can't make others good but I won't let others make me turn bad.
I like that answer. How right you are.
From the comments I'm not sure I understand the poll results. I would have thought "YES" would be ahead of the "NO's"? What gives here?
From the comments I'm not sure I understand the poll results. I would have thought "YES" would be ahead of the "NO's"? What gives here?
I will admit to voting incorrectly at first so I want a mod to change my incorrect "no" vote to a "yes" vote.
Thank you.
Edit by Stryder:
Fixed the poll entry.
Last edited by a moderator: