Juveniles Charged for Shoplifting in New Jersey
At Proetta & Oliver, our New Jersey shoplifting lawyers regularly defend juveniles charged with shoplifting offenses. For these young defendants, it is especially important that a charge of shoplifting does not result in a conviction that could affect getting into college, securing a scholarship or even a good job in the future. When a juvenile is arrested for shoplifting they will be required to appear in the County Superior Court in the county in which they reside, and not necessarily the county where the crime took place. There is a special juvenile judge who will oversee the case and the county prosecutor’s office will handle the prosecution for the state. Most juvenile clients are first time offenders with no prior record, and our attorneys like to try and keep it that way if at all possible. Most times, our juvenile shoplifting lawyers can challenge the evidence against our client and work with the prosecutor in an attempt to secure what is called a “deferred disposition” where the judge will order that the charges or conviction is held in abeyance for a period of time before being dismissed as long as the juvenile does not get into any more trouble. Juvenile defendants will be charged the same way as an adult offender based strictly on the amount of merchandise that was allegedly taken or attempted to be taken. However, certain penalties for shoplifting in New Jersey are handled differently for juveniles as compared to adult offenders. For instance, the mandatory terms of community service for first or second shoplifting convictions do not apply to juveniles. More importantly, the juvenile court does not impose a mandatory term of incarceration under 2C:20-11c(4) for juvenile offenders convicted of a third offense.
Do Juvenile Shoplifting Convictions Count Against My Adult Record?
The court always maintains a record of your contact or arrests so even if it has been 10 years since you were arrested for juvenile shoplifting, the court will be able to see that and potentially hold it against you. However, it is also important to note that since the shoplifting statute under 2C:20-11b only refers to prior “convictions” and not juvenile “adjudications”, then any prior juvenile convictions for shoplifting should not be assessed against you in determining prior offenses for the purpose of imposing mandatory jail time. If you do not want your prior record held against you, you can look into expunging your shoplifting conviction so it does not come up on background checks. Our shoplifting attorneys are well experienced in handling cases for juvenile defendants under the age of 18 and we offer free consultations for prospective clients where we can go over your charges and potential defenses.