Prison admissions for shoplifters rising in Cook County amid Burke policy change, ‘outdated’ state law {Chicago}

Earlier this month, a man walked into a West Side grocery store, according to a police report, and tried to walk out of the shop with two concealed cans of an alcoholic beverage. Even though the cost of the alleged theft was around $13, the 29-year-old man, who the report notes is a U.S. veteran, is facing a felony retail theft charge due to a criminal background that includes a retail theft conviction and a stint in prison for armed robbery. “Do not go back to that Food for Less,” Cook County Judge Luciano Panici Jr. warned as he set...