The unlawful taking of someone else's property with the intent to permanently deprive them of it. It is the basic property crime that encompasses various forms of stealing without the use of force or violence.
From Old English 'thēoft' related to 'thief.' The concept is ancient, appearing in early legal codes like Hammurabi's Code, and forms the foundation for more specific property crimes that developed as societies became more complex.
Theft is the granddaddy of property crimes - it's the simple concept that spawned dozens of more specific offenses! The mind-blowing legal point is that you can steal something and give it back, but it's still theft because the crime was complete the moment you took it with intent to keep it permanently.
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