The kids are NOT going to be sent to jail for a first offense.  They will probably have to pay a fine which will be considerably more than the value of the items that were taken.   The parents will be stuck paying that.  If the kids were charged with a felony due to the value of the items taken, the public defender is an option even though you indicated that you didn't want to pursue that.Although it is NOT possible to predict the judge's actual sentence; a fine and possibly community service are what to expect in this case.