Juvenile Shoplifting Penalties

Shoplifting is a crime of moral turpitude. It is the act of stealing or intentionally paying less than the ticketed amount for goods and products in a store, or attempting to do so. Law enforcement officials estimate that 90% of the U.S. population will shoplift or be involved in aiding and abetting shoplifting at some point in their life. Minors make up 50% of shoplifting cases in this country, although they only account for one-third of the goods stolen. Typically, a single occurrence of shoplifting does not fall under the category of indictable offenses, however, an organized shoplifting syndicate targeting multiple retail locations would.

Penalties for Minor Shoplifting    

State penalties vary widely for minor shoplifting, particularly in the dollar limits involved in misdemeanor shoplifting and felony shoplifting.  Generally, the consequences are more severe for the theft of goods with greater value.

Possible Penalties

• Restitution
• Counselling
• Community Service
• Probation
• Detention
• Fines of varying amounts depending of the value of the merchandise taken
• Civil charges filed by the store
• Banning the adolescent from the store where the crime occurred

Sentencing for Minor Shoplifting

For minors, especially those without prior criminal offenses, a juvenile court judge has the power to determine the appropriate penalty for each offender and his or her family.  In some cases the judge may merely issue a warning to the young offender and in others, he may drop the charges when other sentencing requirements are completed.  It may be helpful to retain a lawyer who is familiar with the juvenile justice system to help you negotiate the appropriate sentence for your child.

Vital Legal Advice for Minor Shoplifting Charges

If your child has been charged with shoplifting, be sure to take the situation seriously.  It is a crime and your child needs to be aware of that and learn to resolve to never commit such an offense again.  However, if you believe the juvenile judge is abusing your child’s rights or not considering all the evidence, you may need a lawyer.

• If you need help with a Juvenile Criminal charge, Submit Your Case for a Free Review from a local Juvenile Criminal Defense Lawyer.