My friend is being charged for stealing her friend's laptop, which is valued at $2000. The friend is 20 years old living in British Columbia, Canada. I don't think she has a prior record. Does anyone know the punishment for this? Somebody thought she'd get probation, but I don't know exactly what that means, and would she still have a criminal record. Any answers would be gratefully appreciated.

It's up to the judge, she could get probation, she could even go to jail, she could get a fine and jail time. As far as the criminal record, if she's convicted of the crime then yes, she will have a record.

Here's some info I found, it might help. I don't know how accurate the info is, but take a look.

Penalties for theft, fraud, extortion in Canadian criminal law (http://www.defencelaw.com/penalty-dishonesty.html)