No one knows how much theft is committed each year by senior citizens. One study found that seniors comprise 15 percent of people apprehended for shoplifting. Seniors of course, tend to be poorer than other Americans, but counselors who work with senior shoplifters say that many of them aren't stealing out of need. About half of senior shoplifters have stolen all their lives. Documentary filmmaker Jeanne C. Finley talks with an elderly shoplifter to find out why. (15 minutes)
More in Crime
Act One
When Lissa’s niece, Carla Yellow Bird, went missing in 2016, Lissa threw everything she had into figuring out what happened to her—including talking for hours on the phone with someone she suspected was involved.
Act Two: Conning The Con Men
The story of a con man, one of the most successful salesmen in a long-running multimillion-dollar telemarketing scam, who finally got caught when he was conned himself.
Act One: Grime Scene
Reporter Nancy Updike spends two days with Neal Smither, who cleans up crime scenes for a living, and comes away wanting to open his Los Angeles franchise, despite the gore — or maybe because of it.
Staff Recommendations
Break-Up
For Valentine's Day, stories from the heart of heartbreak.
Five Women
A different kind of #MeToo story, about several women who worked for the same man.