spyderglass

Petty theft- A few months in jail-
or a fine and probation- you can request a lawyer when
you go to court- and that is what you should do

brownboy2u

ru sure they gonna send me to jail?
wat they gonna ask me in the court and how can i answer to them?
becoz this is my first time i don't know wat to do now?

ScottGem

First this is a bulletin board not instant messaging or texting. Please do not use chat speak here.

Second, There are dozens of threads here, all with the same question which will answer your question. I suggest you brows them.

What you will want to do is ask the court about a diversion.

JimGunther

I have been in various aspects of the criminal justice system for a long time and have never seen anyone go to jail for something like this on their first offense unless they were resisting arrest, hit someone, etc. You will probably get probation and maybe some community service. If they have a program where you can plead guilty, do some community service, serve some probation and not get a conviction on your record, you should try to go that route-as mentioned above, this is sometimes called diversion or probation before judgement. A lawyer should know about such things. Be sure you have one and if you can't afford one, ask for a public defender.

JudyKayTee

OP is in Canada: [quoting myself]

"Ontario diversion program guidelines vary from region to region, courthouse to Courthouse. Eligibility for such a program is ALWAYS determined by the Crown Attorney’s office. There are no exceptions. You are not required to have legal counsel in order to apply.

If the offense - theft - is not major (property was recovered, not a large amount, not a repeat offender) the Crown Attorney MAY approve eligibility into the diversion program prior to the Curt appearance.

If there are prior dealings with the Police - and charges do not have to be placed, any prior dealings of a negative nature - the person will most likely not be eligible for the diversion program.

As part of the diversion program the eligible person will have to agree to complete certain tasks or obligations - perhaps watch a video, make a donation or volunteer time to a not-for-profit, write a paper on the crime.

When the tasks/obligations have been competed to the satisfaction of the Crown’s Attorney he/she will recommend to the Judge that the criminal charge (usually, theft) be withdrawn.

Each courthouse in Ontario has a different diversion program and eligibility requirements differ from region to region. Eligibility for the diversion program is always determined by the Crown Attorney's office. If they deem a theft offence to be of a minor nature (usually a small quantity of merchandise was taken and the property was recovered), the Crown may pre-approve eligibility into the diversion program. A person will not generally be eligible for diversion if they have had prior dealings with the police (even if it did not result in a criminal charge being laid). Once in the diversion program, the eligible candidate may be asked to complete one of a number of different tasks. In some jurisdictions, a person charged with theft may be required to watch a video on shoplifting. In other jurisdictions they may be required to make a donation to charity or complete a minimum number of community service hours - or both. Regardless of the requirements, the end result is usually the same. Once the diversion program has been completed to the satisfaction of the Crown Attorney, the Crown will recommend to the court that the criminal charge of theft be withdrawn against the accused person. This will result in the accused person maintaining a clean record (assuming they didn't have a prior criminal record).

If a person is not pre-screened as eligible for the diversion program, a lawyer may be able to convince a Crown Attorney to reconsider their decision."

armanjk

i wish i could hire you as my lawyer!

brownboy2u

thank you guys for your answer.

brownboy2u

thank you sooo mauch. you make me a lil happy now and i have one more question that when i go to court need to hire lowyer? and how can i answer to judge? becours i'm guilty right. i don't want to my family that i'm did this . thanks for your answer again jimganther.

ScottGem

We have told you what to do. If you go for a diversion you may never go before a judge. Even if you doyou just amnswer the judge's questions tell him you will never do it again and complete your diversion program. if you can arrange a diversion yourself then you may not need an attorney. But having one should make things easier for you.

P.S. We have answered your questions, pleasee do not keep posting the same question in different places.