It’s Not That Your Los Angeles Petty Theft Arrest, Itself, Is the Problem, Necessarily…

You were recently arrested for a petty theft crime in Los Angeles. Maybe you stole a bottle of laundry detergent or shoplifted a designer shirt on Melrose. Or maybe you just know someone who stands accused of such a crime.

In either case, you’re conflicted. You know you’re in trouble. You want your legal problems to go away ASAP. On the other hand, you didn’t kill anyone or commit a more serious Southern California white-collar crime or violent crime. So, hopefully, you’ll be able to dispatch with this frustrating chapter in your life and move on.

To get clarity about what this arrest means for you, you need to start asking yourself some tough questions.

What does this arrest imply about how you’re living your life? How did you wind-up in this legally precarious situation?

You might be tempted to blame someone else or some extraneous circumstance. Perhaps, you just can’t afford basic goods and services. Or perhaps you’ve been hanging out with bad people who unduly influence you. Whatever the case may be, you might be tempted to avoid any responsibility, whatsoever. And that’s a dangerous mentality.

Here are two reasons why:

#1. As the old saying goes, he (or she) who fails to learn from history is doomed to repeat it.

Once you develop a criminal history, your situation can become a slippery slope. You might find yourself more vulnerable to recidivist behavior. The more times you get arrested — or get into legally dicey situations — the more you will grow to think of yourself as a “criminal.” Human beings have a natural desire to be consistent. When we start to think of ourselves as “criminals” or “miscreants” or whatever we want to call ourselves, we tend to act in concert with that vision. You definitely want to avoid going down that road!

#2. Your unwillingness or inability to take responsibility can make your defense more challenging.

For instance, let’s say you just stole clothes from a mall or snatched loose jewelry or a pocketbook at a salon. If you did commit the crime, and you express regret and make restitution to the people you hurt, the court will likely smile upon those gestures and could diminish or even eliminate the scariest punishments before you.

Of course, making proper, clear-headed, and strategic decisions regarding your Los Angeles theft defense is not intuitive for most people! Get in touch with the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers today, not only to build a rock solid defense, but also to surface and deal with any underlying issues.