A property offense involving unlawful taking, appropriation, retention, or control over another’s property or value. It is defined by the required intent and by value thresholds or property types where applicable. It does not include lawful claims of right or conduct that does not satisfy the required intent element. It protects ownership interests and commonly drives restitution, forfeiture exposure, and sentencing outcomes. The concept is generally stable, though value thresholds and grading schemes are revised over time.

Principle

Larceny is organized around four elements: wrongful taking (without consent), carrying away (asportation), the property belonging to another, and a specific intent to permanently deprive; if any element is missing, the offense may not be larceny.

Demonstration

A person reaches over a backyard fence, takes a neighbor's bicycle without permission, rides it away intending to keep it — the unauthorized taking and intent to keep satisfy larceny elements.

Misapplication

Confusing mere possession without proof of wrongful taking or intent to permanently deprive — for example, charging larceny where a person had a claim of right or a genuine belief of consent; such facts can negate the required intent.

Consequence

Properly established larceny results in theft conviction outcomes (criminal penalties, restitution obligations) and the possibility of related civil remedies for the owner; it grounds forfeiture of wrongfully acquired property in many systems.

Reversal

The reversal is lawful acquisition: consensual transfer, borrowing with permission, or bailment where intent to return negates the element of permanent deprivation.

Boundary

Larceny covers tangible personal property and excludes services, land, and intangible property unless statutes extend the concept; some jurisdictions subsume larceny into statutory theft offenses that vary thresholds and terminology.

Semantic Tension

Larceny sits near robbery and embezzlement: robbery adds force or intimidation, while embezzlement involves lawfully entrusted property converted by the entrusted person; correct labeling requires attention to consent, custody, and intent.

Synthesis

Larceny is the traditional theft doctrine defined by an unauthorized taking and carrying away of another's tangible property combined with the specific intent to permanently deprive, forming the backbone of theft offences and informing statutory theft models.