&gt; Only Walmart and private prisons benefit from this; everyone else is worse off.<p>That seems a little hyperbolic. Stealing less than $100 in FL is a 2nd degree misdemeanor, usually just punished by a fine and probation. No private prison is making money from a misdemeanor shoplifting arrest. It would be hard to argue that Walmart is profiting: their loss-prevention staff costs money, they have paperwork, and they do lose some merchandise when the shoplifter isn&#x27;t caught.<p>Walmart may have plenty of negative externalities to discuss, but theft is a crime, and I don&#x27;t see why they should be expected to ignore it.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.criminaldefenselawyer.com&#x2F;resources&#x2F;criminal-defense&#x2F;misdemeanor-offense&#x2F;shoplifting-charges-florida" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.criminaldefenselawyer.com&#x2F;resources&#x2F;criminal-defe...</a>