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Speak Up! - View Question #604 |
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Question: What would the punishment be for burglary of a small store?
Answer: In Arizona burglary of a commercial building, such as a store, is a class 4 felony. The size of the store or the amount of stuff that you took, or tried to take does not matter.
In adult court, the punishment can range from probation, to 1 - 15 years in prison, depending on the circumstances and the defendant's prior criminal history.
In juvenile court, the sentence, or punishment could be probation or prison. Probation could include placement outside your home in a foster home or a treatment center, detention, community service work, fines, counseling, drug testing, and school attendance among other things. If you have a history of juvenile delinquency, you could be placed on Intensive Probation or sent to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC). If the Judge sentences you to ADJC, he or she may tell you how long you have to stay, such as 6 months, or a year or until you are 18. However, once you are sent to ADJC, they will make the final decision as to how long you have to stay after the time the judge said you were eligible for release. ADJC has control over you until you turn 18, and if you are released from ADJC, you will be on parole until you're 18. The Judge can also order you to pay restitution for any damages you may have caused when you broke in - and for any item you took which were not returned in their original condition.
If, as a juvenile, you have prior felony convictions, and get convicted of the burglary, then Intensive Probation is mandatory, and juvenile prison is a real possibility. If the burglary is your third felony, then you will be sent to adult court and tried there, and would be subject to the adult penalties.
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