Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Theft Act 1968 requires prosecutors to prove five elements: dishonesty, appropriation, property, belonging to another, and intent to permanently deprive. The Act replaced the former offences of larceny, embezzlement, and fraudulent conversion. The test for dishonesty is a common law one, established by Ivey v Genting Casinos and confirmed by R v Barton and Booth.
Grand theft, also called grand larceny, designates theft that is large in magnitude or serious in potential consequences, while petty theft covers smaller or less serious offences. The dollar threshold separating them varies by state: California sets it at $950, Virginia at $1,000, and Massachusetts at $250. Grand theft can typically be charged as a felony, while petty theft is generally treated as a misdemeanor.
Under sharia law, the punishment for theft is amputation of the right hand if the thief does not repent. This ruling is derived from surah 5 verse 38 of the Quran and is explicitly framed as a deterrent.
Theft can be motivated by economic need, anger, grief, depression, anxiety, compulsion, boredom, low self-esteem, a sense of entitlement, peer pressure, or rebellion. Workplace theft specifically is linked to greed, perceived economic need, drug addiction, and revenge for work-related grievances. Studies on teenage shoplifting identify novelty, peer pressure, the desire to obtain goods minors cannot legally buy, and economic reasons as common factors.
Section 322(1) of Canada's Criminal Code defines theft as fraudulently taking or converting anything without colour of right, with intent to deprive the owner temporarily or permanently. Theft over $5,000 is an indictable offence with a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. Theft under $5,000 is a hybrid offence, carrying up to two years if treated as indictable, or up to six months and a $2,000 fine on summary conviction.
Buddhism's five precepts include a prohibition on theft, defined as the intention to take what is "not given" and successfully acting on that intention. The severity of the offence is judged by the worth of the owner and the worth of what is stolen. Fraud, cheating, forgery, and underhand dealings are also covered under the same precept.