Dear editor,Two months ago, when I attempted to shoplift from Superstore, it didn’t feel like I was hurting anyone.After getting caught and facing the consequences of my actions, I realized how much damage was caused to my home life, my community and me.I know that I have let my family down. My mother and stepfather tried so hard to keep me safe and out of trouble, while still granting me the freedom I wanted. I abused the trust that they gave me.I have a 12-year-old brother who looks up to me and cares about me. My brother is so smart and creative; he deserves a better role-model than a shoplifting teen sister. These are just two of the reasons I will not shoplift again.The people in my community are also affected by my actions.  If I decide to shoplift an item, regardless of its cost, I am adding to the total amount of profits lost. This will raise the price for everyone who wants to buy this product, people who work for their money. It is not fair that people like me should get it for free, especially when it means people like them have to pay more.As for the affects this experience has had on me, I lost a lot of self-respect, and spent a lot of time regretting what I did. In the end, I made my life much more difficult than it ever had to be. I had to learn the hard way that shoplifting is not worth the pain that it causes.When I walked in the store on Dec. 22, I was not thinking about all the people who have to pay for their items, about what would happen if I was caught, or what my little brother would think if he could see me.Of course, these things didn’t cross my mind until after I was caught. By then it was too late to change my intentions, no matter how much I wanted to.The people who volunteer their time to Community Justice gave me another chance, one that I really needed. Now, thanks to them I understand how I have caused damage to many different people.They gave me the opportunity to apologize for my mistakes, make a personal resolution, learn a valuable lesson, and prove to myself that I am a good member of the community.I hope that my views on shoplifting and the way it affected my life will help someone understand how serious it is. It has huge effects on all the people directly and indirectly involved. I wrote this article with the hope that you can learn this from my mistakes instead of your own.Name withheldEditor’s note: This public letter of apology is one of the outcomes of a recent resolution conference held at the Community Justice Centre.

Comox Valley Record