Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania

My 15 yr old daughter got caught for retail theft. She was issued a summons or citation and was caught with $48 of merchandise. She made a bad decision under peer pressure and was caught. What will the outcome be if she pleads guilty (1st offense for anything) for her bad judgement? Will this potentially hurt her for scholarships and college opportunities? She is a staright A student.


Asked on 12/19/11, 1:14 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Solomon Law Office of Andrew A. Solomon

Usually, a District Justice goes easy on a first offender. You should probably hire a lawyer to go to the Hearing with her. At the hearing, you or the lawyer may be able to "plea bargain" with the arresting officer to reduce the nature of the offense so it need not be reported on applications.

In my opinion, you should never plead guilty unless you have consulted a lawyer first. If a court hearing is scheduled, she should first plead guilty on any citation, and see if you can get the charges reduced at the hearing.

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Answered on 12/19/11, 5:01 pm


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