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Lucy Brey

New Member
Jurisdiction
California
When I was a minor in high school i unfortunately shoplifted at Macys and got caught. They took a photo, and a police officer came. I never went to court. I went to a class and had probation for a few months, and paid a fine to Macys. This event has been haunting me since, it has been 15 years, in the following ways that I kindly request feedback on if possible:

1) What is on my record? Juvenile record i suppose- and who can see this? Should i do something about it like expunge, and when expunged, is it apparent to anyone submitting the background check that my juvenile record was expunged (gov employer? Police?)?

2) I looked myself up on whitepages and see that this event is showing up as a citation, with the same date. What does this mean and isn't this illegal? Its from when i was a minor?

3) I know that my information was put in some database at the time, as i had mall cops follow when i went back once, and also a nearby store one time i heard loss prevention call the clerk in the dressing room when i was trying on clothes to tell her to watch me. Now that facial recognition technology has become very popular and memory and cloud services are so expansive, i have been worried that i am always on the radar when i go shopping. Once i saw security come stand in front of a store i just left and took it personally. Is there anything i can about this, or at least find out? It really bothers me as i am a good honest person, the mistakes i made in high school were a result of being bullied and my attempts to just try to fit in w a group of people at all costs, i feel that many juvenile laws were made just to protect people like me. I really hope to erase this as much as possible if i can.
 
Lucy Brey said:
When I was a minor in high school i unfortunately shoplifted at Macys and got caught. They took a photo, and a police officer came. I never went to court. I went to a class and had probation for a few months, and paid a fine to Macys. This event has been haunting me since, it has been 15 years, in the following ways that I kindly request feedback on if possible:

1) What is on my record? Juvenile record i suppose- and who can see this? Should i do something about it like expunge, and when expunged, is it apparent to anyone submitting the background check that my juvenile record was expunged (gov employer? Police?)?

2) I looked myself up on whitepages and see that this event is showing up as a citation, with the same date. What does this mean and isn't this illegal? Its from when i was a minor?

3) I know that my information was put in some database at the time, as i had mall cops follow when i went back once, and also a nearby store one time i heard loss prevention call the clerk in the dressing room when i was trying on clothes to tell her to watch me. Now that facial recognition technology has become very popular and memory and cloud services are so expansive, i have been worried that i am always on the radar when i go shopping. Once i saw security come stand in front of a store i just left and took it personally. Is there anything i can about this, or at least find out? It really bothers me as i am a good honest person, the mistakes i made in high school were a result of being bullied and my attempts to just try to fit in w a group of people at all costs, i feel that many juvenile laws were made just to protect people like me. I really hope to erase this as much as possible if i can.
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How old were you?

FYI: You must have gone to court...you were convicted and sentenced to restitution.
 
Lucy Brey said:
Once i saw security come stand in front of a store i just left and took it personally. Is there anything i can about this, or at least find out?
Click to expand...

If I were you, I'd keep living my life as an adult, US citizen, obeying all the laws just as you've done for the past 15 years.

Juvenile records aren't generally able to be seen by the general public.

You know more about this than some person serving as a private security agent employed by some unknown retailer. You are likely experiencing pangs of guilt because you have a conscience.

If you tell a truth, people don't suddenly call you a truther. If you stole some junk as a 16 year old, that doesn't make you thief, unless you're still stealing today, which you aren't.

Go about your business as anyone does, leave the past in the past, don't look backwards, look straight ahead. Each day we live is what we make of it. Don't let your past haunt you, forcing you to ignore your future.

The best thing you can do for yourself is FUHGEDABOUTIT!!!
 
justblue said:
How old were you?

FYI: You must have gone to court...you were convicted and sentenced to restitution.
Click to expand...
army judge said:
If I were you, I'd keep living my life as an adult, US citizen, obeying all the laws just as you've done for the past 15 years.

Juvenile records aren't generally able to be seen by the general public.

You know more about this than some person serving as a private security agent employed by some unknown retailer. You are likely experiencing pangs of guilt because you have a conscience.

If you tell a truth, people don't suddenly call you a truther. If you stole some junk as a 16 year old, that doesn't make you thief, unless you're still stealing today, which you aren't.

Go about your business as anyone does, leave the past in the past, don't look backwards, look straight ahead. Each day we live is what we make of it. Don't let your past haunt you, forcing you to ignore your future.

The best thing you can do for yourself is FUHGEDABOUTIT!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks :( i try but every time i go shopping i get anxiety.
 
Last edited:
Well i appreciate the thoughts, but I really want to do something about it if something can in fact be done. Especially about whitepages, which is making my juvenile record public data, which it is not supposed to be. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Also to a previous comment, no i did not go to court. I believe it was called a diversion program.
 
Lucy Brey said:
Well i appreciate the thoughts, but I really want to do something about it if something can in fact be done. Especially about whitepages, which is making my juvenile record public data, which it is not supposed to be. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Also to a previous comment, no i did not go to court. I believe it was called a diversion program.
Click to expand...
How old were you when you were charged/convicted?
 
Lucy Brey said:
17
Click to expand...

I suspect you were caught up in the net back in the early 2000s.

This CA licensed attorney explains what can happen to some minors in CA when they run afoul of the law:

When Can Minors Be Tried as Adults in California? | Wallin & Klarich



When Can Minors Be Tried as Adults?
Minors ages 14 to 17 may be tried as adults in a California Superior Court through any of the following procedures:

A prosecutor may file a petition for a "fitness" hearing in juvenile court.

If the juvenile court judge finds the minor "unfit" for rehabilitation, the minor will be referred for prosecution as an adult;

Direct file in adult criminal court at the discretion of the prosecutor;

Automatic trial as an adult for certain pre-determined aggravated offenses for an eligible minor.
 
I am a Retail Theft consultant and answer questions like yours daily. Here is my take


1) What is on my record? Juvenile record i suppose- and who can see this? Should i do something about it like expunge, and when expunged, is it apparent to anyone submitting the background check that my juvenile record was expunged (gov employer? Police?)?

This was answered. If your an adult now and its been this long its not really a problem or issue

2) I looked myself up on whitepages and see that this event is showing up as a citation, with the same date. What does this mean and isn't this illegal? Its from when i was a minor?

Your right this seems off

3) I know that my information was put in some database at the time, as i had mall cops follow when i went back once, and also a nearby store one time i heard loss prevention call the clerk in the dressing room when i was trying on clothes to tell her to watch me. Now that facial recognition technology has become very popular and memory and cloud services are so expansive, i have been worried that i am always on the radar when i go shopping. Once i saw security come stand in front of a store i just left and took it personally. Is there anything i can about this, or at least find out? It really bothers me as i am a good honest person, the mistakes i made in high school were a result of being bullied and my attempts to just try to fit in w a group of people at all costs, i feel that many juvenile laws were made just to protect people like me. I really hope to erase this as much as possible if i can.

this technology is expensive and not many use it if any. Retailers generally dont invest that kind of cash for this.
 

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