What happens to a minor for committing petty theft for the 2nd offense?

[kaydee94]

CALIFORNIA


9 months ago, I shoplifted at Macy's. I was caught and received a citation from the cops, but then I received a letter in the mail dismissing it, warning me to be a good citizen and such. Fast forward, and I completely acted stupid and shoplifted about $140 from another store. Same thing happened again, cops came, etc. I feel so sorry for what I did. I was so stupid; I didn't even need the things I attempted to take. I'm also a good student and I never really cause any problems. The question is.. what is going to happen to me? Will I go on probation?

 

[sandyclaus]

CALIFORNIA


9 months ago, I shoplifted at Macy's. I was caught and received a citation from the cops, but then I received a letter in the mail dismissing it, warning me to be a good citizen and such. Fast forward, and I completely acted stupid and shoplifted about $140 from another store. Same thing happened again, cops came, etc. I feel so sorry for what I did. I was so stupid; I didn't even need the things I attempted to take. I'm also a good student and I never really cause any problems. The question is.. what is going to happen to me? Will I go on probation?

You say you are a good student, but that's a lie, because clearly you did not learn your lesson nor seize the opportunity you were given before. Since you figured you got away with it and had no consequences, you did it again. And you WILL do it again after this unless the prosecutor proceeds with conviction and gives you penalties that are going to hurt.

The penalty for shoplifting is under California Penal Code 484 & Penal Code 488 typically include a maximum of three years of informal probation, up to six months in a county jail, and/or a maximum $1,000 fine. Given that this is a repeat performance, I'm thinking they aren't going to let you off so easy this time.

In addition, you'll be receiving another civil demand from the store where you shoplifted (those can be anywhere from $150-250 for each offense). Your parents probably had to pay the one received for the Macy's incident, and now you will have another one to pay.

 

[ajkroy]

I'm going to disagree on the "good student" part only. Clearly, she learned that there were no consequences to her actions...so why not do it again?

 

[sandyclaus]

You say you are a good student, but that's a lie, because clearly you did not learn your lesson nor seize the opportunity you were given before. Since you figured you got away with it and had no consequences, you did it again. And you WILL do it again after this unless the prosecutor proceeds with conviction and gives you penalties that are going to hurt.

I'm going to disagree on the "good student" part only. Clearly, she learned that there were no consequences to her actions...so why not do it again?

Perhaps you need to read my comment over a little more carefully. I said the same thing you did.

 

[ajkroy]

I was saying she is an excellent student. She learned what the system taught her.

For some people, there is no deterrent against subsequent crimes if, when caught, there is no consequence for the first.

 

[kaydee94]

Honestly, I didn't mean to make this thread for you all to argue over the question of whether I'm a terrible student or an accomplished one. I know what I am, and none of you even know me. You can't judge someone as a whole based on a few pieces. Yes, it was stupid of me. It's the worst judgement I've ever acted upon - ever. Will I ever do it again? No. But that's not what I want to debate.

My question is: what do you think will happen to me, realistically speaking? Don't give me that talk about the maximum level of punishment I can receive, because I know that what I did is not nearly as bad as those who actually do deserve the maximum punishment. I spoke to a police officer; he said that I'm going to get "a slap on the hand," since what I did was so small. What does he mean by a "slap on the hand" though? Did he mean community service, probation, etc?

 

[stealth2]

NONE of us can tell you what will happen. We don't know the charges, the judge, how hard your victims will push the DA. For that, you need to go pay a lawyer.

I hope your parents know what's going on. I also hope that they will enact their own consequences on you. If you were MY child, you would be paying whatever fines are assessed. I may pay them upfront, but you would be paying me back. You would also not be allowed to go to any retail establishment alone or with friends. You would have to wait until I was available to accompany you. And yes, that would include being with you in the dressing room. Sorry - you lost the trust to be alone in that situation. On the off chance that you somehow got to a store w/o me? ANY new item that came into my home would need a receipt accompanying it. Or it would go away. It might go away anyway, for disobeying my requirement of accompanying you. I hope your parents have the guts to follow through.

Oh - don't expect to get hired by any retail establishment. No one wants to hire a thief. You're a thief.

 

[dave33]

CALIFORNIA


9 months ago, I shoplifted at Macy's. I was caught and received a citation from the cops, but then I received a letter in the mail dismissing it, warning me to be a good citizen and such. Fast forward, and I completely acted stupid and shoplifted about $140 from another store. Same thing happened again, cops came, etc. I feel so sorry for what I did. I was so stupid; I didn't even need the things I attempted to take. I'm also a good student and I never really cause any problems. The question is.. what is going to happen to me? Will I go on probation?

You should be sentenced as a 1st time offender. If the judge has the info. of the 1st situation in front of him he may take that into account. There is just no way to tell.If I had to guess, I would say a little probation, fine and some community service. Certainly nothing you cannot handle. goodluck.

 

[kaydee94]

NONE of us can tell you what will happen. We don't know the charges, the judge, how hard your victims will push the DA. For that, you need to go pay a lawyer.

I hope your parents know what's going on. I also hope that they will enact their own consequences on you. If you were MY child, you would be paying whatever fines are assessed. I may pay them upfront, but you would be paying me back. You would also not be allowed to go to any retail establishment alone or with friends. You would have to wait until I was available to accompany you. And yes, that would include being with you in the dressing room. Sorry - you lost the trust to be alone in that situation. On the off chance that you somehow got to a store w/o me? ANY new item that came into my home would need a receipt accompanying it. Or it would go away. It might go away anyway, for disobeying my requirement of accompanying you. I hope your parents have the guts to follow through.

Oh - don't expect to get hired by any retail establishment. No one wants to hire a thief. You're a thief.

I did not ask for your opinions on parenting. That's great. Your children are in good hands! Though, you're not my mother or even my father, so don't give me your take on what /my/ parents /must/ follow through on. Have you ever thought of working as a journalist in editorials? Oh, and FYI, I never planned on working in retail, so you can throw that idea out the window. Thanks, but not what I asked for.

 

[kaydee94]

You should be sentenced as a 1st time offender. If the judge has the info. of the 1st situation in front of him he may take that into account. There is just no way to tell.If I had to guess, I would say a little probation, fine and some community service. Certainly nothing you cannot handle. goodluck.

Thank you for answering my question!

 

[cbg]

Did you happen to notice the name of the forum? Free advice? If you're not paying for it, you don't get to pick and choose what advice, or what opinions, you get.

I sincerely hope that the prosecuter is a good enough student to realize that unless you get a penalty that HURTS, you're going to keep shoplifting. You say you won't now, but I'm betting you said that the first time, didn't you? And then you found that there were no consequences to speak of.

Oh, and by the way, sweet pea, there are more jobs than retail that are going to be closed to you.

 

[kaydee94]

Did you happen to notice the name of the forum? Free advice? If you're not paying for it, you don't get to pick and choose what advice, or what opinions, you get.

I sincerely hope that the prosecuter is a good enough student to realize that unless you get a penalty that HURTS, you're going to keep shoplifting. You say you won't now, but I'm betting you said that the first time, didn't you? And then you found that there were no consequences to speak of.

Oh, and by the way, sweet pea, there are more jobs than retail that are going to be closed to you.

Actually, "sweet pea," my juvenile record is going to be sealed by the time I'm 18, so I'm highly doubting that. Also, free ADVICE does not mean "free opinions on parenting - something totally different than what the topic originally asked for." But again, thank YOU for the time you invested into replying.

 

[cbg]

Juvenile records in CA are NOT automatically sealed at age 18. But then, you're no doubt aware of that since you believe you know it all.

 

[kaydee94]

Juvenile records in CA are NOT automatically sealed at age 18. But then, you're no doubt aware of that since you believe you know it all.

You're right on the account that I was already well aware of that. I'm going to take the necessary steps to seal them ASAP. However, you're wrong when you say that I believe that I know it all. I don't hold that belief in the least. I simply do not like to hear unnecessary opinions regarding my parents' duties, my job eligibility, or anything else that's completely irrelevant to the original topic. I asked a simple, black and white question; no one needed to color it in with their own perspectives and input.

 

[cbg]

When you ask volunteers on a public forum to give you the benefit of their knowledge for free, you do not get to pick and choose what kind of answers they give or what opinions they provide. If you want a forum where you only get the answers you want and no additional opinions, you'll have to pay for it.