by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008

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I was caught shoplifting $30 from Ross.No police was called but I signed a Statement and Release paper that says store may pursue a civil claim against me & i shouldn't step foot in the store for 12 Month .Will I have a criminal record? I’m very scared.

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by Nasiswand on March 19th, 2009
Unless the police were called and charged pressed then nothing will come of it. You will know if they do call the police. I'd take this for the second chance it is and save the shoplifting for when your children are starving and a loaf of bread looks to good to pass up.
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by Luc Thiet Thuan on December 18th, 2008
No, its fine, it's a much better solution to having the cops come. All it means is that they can pursue damages against you if you ever trespass on their property (any of their stores) within the next 12 months. That's fine, just dont go into any Ross store for 12 months. And even if you do, they probably wont notice.
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by SloaneRanger on November 13th, 2008
It is hard to say without seeing the document you signed. Did they give you a copy? Did they call it a conditional discharge?

If it has a 12 month ban from entering the store it doesn't sound like they are going to prosecute you or file a civil claim. If they were I doubt they would have only a one year ban. The one year ban is typical of a "conditional discharge" meaning they won't file claims or charges IF you don't re-offend or break the agreement. Just honor it and do not go back into the store and do not shoplift from anywhere else.

I'm sure you are scared and that, I think, is their intention. I hope this works out for you because your user name sounds like you have seen the error of you ways. Good luck.
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- i don't know why i did it...i was stupid...I should have known better than that...I'm very very sorry...
  they gave me a copy of the document...Its from a company called US Security Associates Inc. the title of the page in "Acknowledgments" and it has 3 different parts and i had to sign all 3..
  first part says without any force i admit that i took their property and exited the store without paying for it...
  second part is a Trespass notice and says that i have been advised not to enter the store for 12 month
  third part is Civil Theft Notice and says: i have been advised that the store may per sue a civil claim against me for damages related to this incident.
  the security guard told me to expect something in the mail and probably pay a fine.
  They said my information on that paper will be between me and the store only but if i don’t pay the fine then it will get complicated
  
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  by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008
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by xceleste on November 13th, 2008
If you are under 18, you should not have signed anything without a legal representative or parental supervision.

Signing something they give you independently is MUCH, MUCH worse than having the police present. With the police present, you might have been charged a fine with some community work to do, and your parents may have had to sign some parental consent form in order to interview you. Neither would you have had any criminal record if it was your first offence.

If Ross made you sign an independent agreement, then they can keep the papers on record, and use it to their advantage. With the police, if it's a minor offence, most records are erased within 6 months ~ 2 years.

... In sum, you should not have signed the papers Ross representatives gave you without proper legal or parental supervision.

(I know these facts because I've studied International Law by myself since I was 13, and I'm currently studying criminology at the University of Toronto)
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- Thanks for ur help...I'm 25 so they didn't need the presence of my parents but the reason i signed the paper was because they wouldn't let me go if i didn't...
  i tried to resist but they said they will call the cops if i don't corporate :(
  
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  by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008
- Oh my goodness; that really sucks. They have the right to keep the papers for as long as they like, and can pursue a claim against you for MUCH more than $30... :( You should have just said that you wanted to let the police handle it. In legal matters, it is best to keep your emotions aside and think rationally and logically. I hope they don't make a claim; if they do, it will be a win-win situation for them because they have solid proof due to you signing their papers.
  
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  by xceleste on November 13th, 2008
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by mrbuddhafreak on November 13th, 2008
You won't have a criminal record, and the store almost certainly won't sue you IF you stay out of the store for at least a year.
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- They told me to expect something in the mail and pay a fine...But i hope it ends there cause i really don't wanna go to court :(
  
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  by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008
- Now that's kinda weird. But if the police weren't called, there likely won't be a criminal record. Though I have no idea what they might be sending in the mail.
  
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  by mrbuddhafreak on November 13th, 2008
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by bettylee on March 19th, 2009
I am in a very similiar case right now and was wondering how things worked out for you, SorryJenn. I also signed some papers and was told not to return to any of their stores ever. No police were invovled since this was my first offense ever.
Do you know if this went on your permanent record or any other records? I am very scared and remorseful and would highly appreciate any advise you have on how to deal with this.

Thank you.
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by king of ellipses on November 13th, 2008
they probably won't pursue any legal action. probably. Stop stealing stuff, are you completely stupid? If you're well off to be surfing the internet, surely you're not stealing loaves of bread to feed your family.
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- ya, you'd better downrate that. Stealing is actually a good thing I guess.
  
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  by king of ellipses on November 13th, 2008
- I don't know why i did it...i was stupid...I'm having some financial difficulties these days but i should have known better than that...the humiliation was not worthed doing so...
  
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  by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008
- I was the one who downrated it. The asker was asking for advice on what she should have done. It is obvious she is regretting her actions, and doesn't need to be called "stupid" by others. Sorry if this sounds offensive, I don't mean it to be @_@;
  
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  by xceleste on November 13th, 2008
- I know...In situations like this people already feel sorry and don't need others to remind them of their wrong act...they r just desperately looking for some help and have already been humiliated enough :'(
  
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  by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008
- Actually i first posted my question on Yahoo Answers but people only left offensive comments and nobody really helped..i thought here would be more professional...
  
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  by SorryJenn on November 13th, 2008
- my apologies. I'm one of those people who has never had the balls to steal anything. Humiliation and I, though we're close friends, try to avoid seeking each other out, and shoplifting is just too easy a way to get us together.
  
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  by king of ellipses on November 13th, 2008
- Dear King,
  .
  What makes you think it is OK to steal bread? Someone had to grow the wheat, bake the bread, deliver it to market, stock the shelves, pay for the lights, etc. which make that bread possible. Break theft is just as much a crime as diamond theft.
  
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  by malevolentbutticklis on December 18th, 2008
- lol... King was just saying it as a figure of speech. He's saying that if she's using the internet, then she's not so poor that she needs to steal to clothe/feed/bathe/etc. herself.
  
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  by xceleste on December 18th, 2008
- No one is that poor. If you don't have something you need you aren't poor enough to go steal it. You need to work for and earn it.
  
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  by malevolentbutticklis on December 18th, 2008
- Yeah, the part about "working for it" is painfully obvious, but not everyone thinks the same way. Shoplifting/stealing, for some, is just the easy way out. If working and earning for something was so easy, why do you think there are so many homeless people, even in prosperous cities (ex. Toronto)? You can reason that it's most logical and moral to get a job, but psychologically, a lot of people are rock bottom and need to be picked up by someone (not literally; I mean as in helping them) in order to get their lives re-started. There's always the well-known saying you can refer to: It's easier said, than done.
  
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  by xceleste on December 22nd, 2008
- I think many people are homeless because they deserve to be homeless. For instance, many of them could not pass a drug test. Since many jobs require drug testing doing drugs is a choice to be unemployed. With the money most homeless people spend on booze, cigarettes, and drugs they could have instead bought a pair of presentable clothes from goodwill, a razor, and some toothpaste.
  
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  by malevolentbutticklis on December 23rd, 2008
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I was caught shoplifting $30 from Ross.No police was called but I signed a Statement and Release paper that says store may pursue a civil claim against me & i shouldn't step foot in the store for 12 Month .Will I have a criminal record? I’m very scared.

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I was caught shoplifting $30 from Ross.No police was called but I signed a Statement and Release paper that says store may pursue a civil claim against me & i shouldn't step foot in the store for 12 Month .Will I have a criminal record? I’m very scared.

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