If it’s your first offence, the police will often simply give you a formal warning without charging you – they call these “pre-charge warnings”.
For a second offence, you’ll probably be charged, but you may then qualify for the police “diversion” scheme. To get diversion you’ll have to admit the offence, but you’ll be kept out of the court system and won’t get a criminal record, see the chapter “The criminal courts”, under “Ways to stay out of court: Diversion and restorative justice”.
If you can’t get diversion and are convicted in court, this first shoplifting conviction is likely to be dealt with by a fine or a community-based sentence (like community work). Alternatively, the judge may order you to “come up for sentence if called upon” during a set time, usually six months or nine months. This means you’re released but must be on good behaviour during that time, otherwise you have to go back to court to be sentenced for the shoplifting offence plus whatever penalty you might get for the latest offence (this is sometimes called a “suspended” sentence or a “good behaviour bond”).
If you’re convicted, you’ll also have to pay court costs on top of your sentence.
You may also have to pay “reparation” (compensation) to the store if you’ve used or damaged the items so that they can’t be sold. But if the store has been able to get the items back from you still in a saleable condition, you won’t have to pay reparation. Meat packs are an item often stolen from supermarkets, and the shoplifter is usually ordered to pay reparation in these cases.
If you’ve already got shoplifting convictions, you’ll probably face stiffer penalties, depending on the value of the goods shoplifted – including longer community-based sentences, or a jail term. For more information about the different types of sentences, see the chapter “The criminal courts”, under “Sentencing”.
Note: If you’re facing your first shoplifting conviction, you might consider applying in writing to the judge for a discharge without conviction, so that you don’t get a criminal record. However, this won’t be easy to get.