Walk It Through: The Jacket
Retail theft under $150, a reasonable detention, and clean slate after five years.
A college student walks out of a department store wearing a jacket that was never paid for, and an officer standing by the exit sees it.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One jacket and one conviction. Felony retail theft, limited access by petition, and expungement at 70 are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Misdemeanor of the third degreeThe lowest misdemeanor grade, punishable by up to 1 year in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.
- Retail theftTheft from a store, graded by value and history: a first offense under $150 is a summary offense, and a third or later offense, or more than $1,000, is a felony of the third degree.
- Summary offenseThe lowest grade of offense, punishable by not more than 90 days, with a fine of up to $300 unless a higher fine is set.
- ExpungementRemoving a record. An acquittal of all charges is expunged automatically, and a summary offense may be expunged on petition after five years free of arrest or prosecution.
- Limited accessA record disseminated only to a criminal justice agency, apart from the exceptions the law lists. Clean slate limits access to some records without a petition, after the waiting periods the law sets.