When Juveniles Commit a Theft That Turns Into Residential Burglary

 Posted on April 28, 2017 in Theft

As the weather beginsto warm up, many homeowners in the area will open their doorsand garages to allowthe sunshine in and toair out their homes after a long, cold winter. In suburbia, it is not uncommon for people to leave their garage doors open during the daytime, and to evenleave them open without supervision.

While normally such behavior should be safe, open doorscan be inviting, especially tojuveniles.Take, for example, a group of teenagers who see an open and apparently unguarded garage and enter in search for beer. One teen in the group might dare another to go steal the beer or something else from the open garage. Under pressure from his or her friends, theunfortunate teen will enter the garage and commit the theft.

When Theft Turns Into Residential Burglary

The teen who steals the beer from the garage, however, has done more than merely commit a theft. Because the teen entered the garage of another without permission, and with the intent to steal the beer, the criminal charges the teen can face will likely be upgraded to residential burglary. Why is the upcharge so bad for a teen? Residential burglary is a felony level offense, even if the offender is only a juvenile.

While someone who is under 18 years of age will likely face juvenile charges for his or hertheft of the beer from someone’s garage, it is still a serious matter. When it comes to juveniles who commit offenses, the courts have a lot of discretion in terms of how the juvenile offender should be punished. The potential punishments that a convicted juvenile delinquent could face include:

• Having to pay a fine;
• Having to pay restitutions to the victim of the residential burglary;
• Having to attend mandatory counseling sessions or therapy sessions;
• Being put on probation, which means that the juvenile avoids detention (the juvenile equivalent of jail), but is required to comply with a number of terms, i.e., rules, that are part of his or her probation;
• Being placed in juvenile detention, weekend detentions, or mandatory community service-type work programs.

Juveniles sometimes make poor decisions and exercise bad judgement. They also can make mistakes about the criminality of the things they do. First time juvenile delinquents are often treated with more leniency by the court than repeat offenders. Any young person facing theft of burglary charges needs to consult with a juvenile offenses lawyer immediately.

Juvenile Delinquents Need an Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyer

A juvenile charged with a crime needs a strong criminal defense lawyer fighting for his or herrights. Contact an experienced Rolling Meadows juvenile crime lawyerfor assistance with your case.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K19-3