This is obviously oriented to shoplifters who have the money, and are shoplifting for thrills or mental illness, like Winona Ryder. There are far more of this type shoplifting in upscale stores, because poorer people stand out in such places and are carefully watched, and they know it.
I also noted that the stores are not attempting to blackmail them, which is smart, but sending them to a diversion program, so they cannot be accused of anything illegal.
And there is a big accent on video evidence. Importantly, such cases are usually slam-dunks for prosecution, and they do tend to clog the system. A wild guess is that it might cost taxpayers $5,000 for a single prosecution. So this is pretty close to a win-win-win.
About 3 years ago I got a call from a neighbor about 11 at night he said he heard shots and could see a spotlight working on the ranch. One of my pumpers had left a gate open and that’s where they came in. I found three high school kids with beer, 2 rifles, spotlight and a whitetail doe in the back of the truck. I relieved them of all four and escorted them to the gate. When we got off the ranch I told them to bring their fathers to my office Monday morning and we would discuss what it was going to take to get their gear back. They showed up with their fathers that morning and we discussed their penalty. The following Saturday them boys were up bright and early and fixing water gaps on the ranch. Around noon I broke out their cooler with some fresh ice and me and the father enjoyed that cold beer in the 90+ degree sun. When it was done we went to the gate and I gave them back their gear and they all shook my hand. No jail, no criminal record and a lesson learned.