Does California’s three strikes law affect my child’s shoplifting case?

California penal code section 666 states that any person convicted of theft for a third time can be charged with felony petty theft. Even if all previous offenses are considered petty theft (such as shoplifting), a felony conviction on the third offense can mean up to one year in state prison.

Many Californians believe that this section of law is unfair because it involves sending people to prison for misdemeanor offenses. The law was originally put in place to discourage repeat offenders: A study done on Orange County underage offenders found that between 8 and 12 percent of juveniles account for 60 percent of the crimes committed.

Fair or not, the law is still on the books and can be applied to your case if you are facing a third conviction of petty theft. Our experienced Ventura criminal defense lawyers can help you fight your petty theft charge, reducing the sentencing and working to get underage offenders' criminal records cleared.

If someone in your family has been charged with shoplifting in Santa Barbara, call Bamieh & Erickson today at (805) 643-5555 for a free consultation.