I got caught shoplifting baby wipes, baby clothes and toilet paper in Kitsap County Washington. I have a criminal history, will I go to jail for this? I have a baby and I am worried about being away from her??

I think you know that stealing is wrong, that's not what this is about. $250 in Washington State is considered a felony. I doubt that you will face jail time. HOWEVER, this could be a violation of parole depending on what the previous crime was. It's all up to the judge.

I'm also hoping that your child was not with you during this little escapade, because that could be considered child endangerment.

You may not go to jail for this shoplifting, but you could be facing some strict probation and restitution and/or fines for this. Your criminal history will be taken into account by the sentencing judge though. Depending on what sort of criminal history you have the judge could possibly send you to jail for a few days (but I doubt this). You need to remember your child when you are tempted to do anything wrong in the future like shoplifting as your child will suffer without their mom. If you need baby clothes have you tried your local Family Services Agency for any help or a local church or even Goodwill? Goodwill usually sells children's clothes for a dollar each piece (or less). Can't go wrong with the price there.

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Originally Posted by amber72

I got caught shoplifting baby wipes, baby clothes and toilet paper in Kitsap County Washington. I have a criminal history, will I go to jail for this? I have a baby and I am worried about being away from her???

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It's up to the Judge - are you on probation now for your past criminal activity?

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Originally Posted by amber72

I got caught shoplifting baby wipes, baby clothes and toilet paper in Kitsap County Washington. I have a criminal history, will I go to jail for this? I have a baby and I am worried about being away from her???

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I don't think you should it kind of depends on your rcord

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Originally Posted by vonschan

i dont think u should it kinda depends on ur rcord

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To quote the rules: Use the best English you are capable of. "Chat speak", all caps, lack of punctuation, etc. can be annoying, and will frequently result in the post being either unanswered or removed.

I worked in an around the court system for quite awhile and can tell you that the more extensive a person's criminal record is, the more likely they are to go to jail. Being on parole or probation when the offense occurred increases the chances of going to jail greatly.

I was a court bailiff and saw many cases of this type, and have heard people say that they cannot go to jail because there is no one to watch the baby, which they brought to court.

Many times I have heard the judge say "You should have thought of that before you did the crime" and have spent quite abit of time sitting in the bailiff's lounge with a baby waiting for child protective services to pick them up.

I agree JimGunther. Jail is always a possibility if you've committed a crime no matter the magnitude. When you have a child it's time to learn some responsibility, and this surely isn't the way of doing it. You must put your child first AT ALL TIMES. If you can't figure out if something you want to do is right or wrong, think of how it will affect your child, and Voilà there's your answer. If you had thought this way before stealing you would have realized you could go to jail, your child could be taken from you, you may have to pay fines and or restitution. And the fines and restitution are usually far more than the item that you stole.

Yes, with my work with the courts I have seen someone go to jail ( for a few days anyway) for stealing a soda, if they had enough previous criminal history and other shop lifting where it was obviouis they were not sorry, ( except sorry for being caught)