Parenting : Cures for Shoplifting

You just got a call from the Police Department. Your child was arrested for shoplifting. What happens now?

“It all depends on the juvenile’s history,” said Los Angeles Police Detective Jim Witowski of the Van Nuys Division. “If it is their first or second arrest, and they seem to be doing well at school and home, I may release them to their parents--and it will end at that. But if it is their third time, we will file criminal charges.”

For many young people, the experience of getting caught, arrested and carted away in a patrol car may be enough to stop them from repeating the offense. But Witowski suggests that a trip to the police station and a chat with the juvenile detective may be in order even before the situation gets that far.

For example, in one case, an 8-year-old repeatedly stole quarters from her mother’s purse. In desperation, the mother called Witowski, who offered to talk to the girl. “The mom brought her in,” he said, “and she saw some kids in handcuffs. They were sitting on a bench, waiting to go to Juvenile Hall. The little girl looked at them and broke into tears, and the mother hasn’t had a problem since.”

According to Witowski, juvenile detectives are likely to direct young first-time offenders into counseling or “diversionary” programs designed to discourage them from crime. Their parents are often sent to court-sponsored parenting classes. “If I have the slightest indication that there is a problem--if the kid has an attitude or seems to be leaning toward gangs or drugs, or if his parent seems to be losing control, I refer them to (such programs),” Witowski said.