You need to consider many things when thinking about the consequences of a theft or burglary arrest. It’s easy to believe there are things that you might be able to get away with. Nonetheless, you may end up with far more problems than you ever anticipated, and you do NOT want to take a chance with something like this. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t risk facing the consequences of having a theft conviction on your criminal record.
1. Severe Charges
You may face serious charges for a burglary arrest, especially if you used a firearm while committing the crime. Most states have particularly strict laws regarding how they charge those found guilty of using firearms when they commit crimes. You certainly don’t want to take your chances when you can avoid doing so.
Using a firearm increases the severity of the crime in the eyes of the law because there’s an additional risk to the safety of everyone in the area. A firearm adds an element of danger that can create greater fear and lead to more serious injuries. On top of that, it multiplies the probability that someone will be killed during the process of committing a crime. When you put all of that together, it starts to make sense that the severity of the penalty might be increased when someone uses a firearm to commit theft or burglary.
2. Damaged Property
It’s not out of the question that you might end up with damaged property if you try to commit a crime against another person or entity. The reason is that you may have to rush away from the scene of the crime, causing your vehicle to get damaged. It might suffer damage because you crash it while trying to escape, it may be attacked by the person you steal from, or it might even be harmed by law enforcement as they attempt to arrest you.
Regardless of how it happens, this may mean that you’ll need auto repair to take care of the damage to your vehicle. That’s particularly important to note because you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you can’t get the help you require at a time like this. Make sure you look at the auto repair services available to you and ensure you get precisely what you need to care for your vehicle in the necessary ways.
3. You May Require a Bond
It will likely be necessary for someone in your family to get in touch with bail bond agents to help take care of the situation. When you work with bail bondsmen, you can get yourself bailed out of jail at a price. This lets you begin working to fight your case from the comfort of your own home.
Most people can understand that having the opportunity to battle their legal cases from their own homes makes a lot more sense than trying to handle a case from within the prison itself. This is a much more difficult position to put yourself in, and most can agree that they wouldn’t want to fight this crucial battle while facing the restrictions and hardships associated with living in jail.
The cost of bail bonds is not insignificant. A bail service generally requires that you put up 10 percent of the total bond, and they will supply the rest of the money. If you make all of your court appearances, they get their money back and keep your 10 percent. If you fail to show up on a court date, you’ll be charged with “bail jumping,” and this will cause your problems to multiply. Make sure you appear in court at the correct times. Don’t forget to add 24 hour bail services to your list of things to check out, as you never know when you might potentially face charges without being able to get out of jail.
4. It May Be Hard to Get Into a New Property
You may struggle to move into a new home if you have a burglary arrest. Many places will not want to rent apartments or houses to someone with this kind of activity on a criminal record. This is why you should consider what the property management companies and landlords might think about your personal record if you have a burglary arrest.
They’ll review the different risk factors that could keep them from renting a property to you. They can pick and choose the people that they want to accept as tenants. There are certain types of discrimination that laws forbid, but rejecting applicants with criminal records is not one of them. They can keep people out of their properties on this basis. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure you consider the various problems that might come with having a burglary arrest on your record.
5. It Can Be Harder to Get Work Done Around Your Home
Some people will decide who they work with based on the criminal history of that person. It’s increasingly easy for people to run criminal record checks on anyone they might decide to work for. In some cases, details of criminal activity can be found in newspapers or regular internet search results. Perhaps you will eventually want to hire a contractor to put in driveway gates or complete other projects that would fix problems and help make your property look better. In that case, you’ll want to consider how your criminal record could hurt your ability to get that work done.
You must work on making sure you think about the ways that a decision you make today can have major impacts on the future decisions that you can make. It could become harder for you to do some things you’d like to do with your property. This is something you should consider if you don’t want to have doors close on you when you’re just starting your life.
6. You May Be Barred From Establishments
A person with a burglary arrest will often be barred from the building where the crime was committed in the first place. This is because the owner will usually ask that the police forbid a person from entering the place of business in an effort to prevent further crimes from being committed. Therefore, if you burglarize a coin dealer or some other type of shop, you may be banned from going into that store again.
You should consider the full ramifications of the crimes that you may commit in a moment of desperation. People don’t want to think about what it might be like to put themselves in a situation where they’ll have such a desperate moment, but it’s entirely possible. Hopefully, this isn’t a choice that you’ll have to make. If you consider committing a crime, you need to know that the potential consequences make it not worth taking the risk.
7. You Might Not Be Able to Get Insurance
If you have a burglary arrest on your record, you might struggle to get automobile insurance, or your rates may climb to higher levels than they normally would. This is one of those situations that you don’t want to put yourself in. You might find that you’re struggling because you are short on money or have unforeseen expenses. However, getting a burglary arrest on your record can be a real disaster because this will only make life even more challenging.
If you cannot obtain automobile insurance, you won’t be able to drive your vehicle at all without breaking the law. If your insurance rates go up, you’ll be in a very problematic situation because you might not be able to afford those rates. That is also a scary position to put yourself in, and you must avoid doing so as much as possible. Make sure you don’t allow something like this to happen. You deserve to be able to get the kind of insurance you need.
8. You Might Have to Raise Cash Quickly Via Some Other Means
You may need to raise cash to pay for your necessary expenses via some truly desperate means if you have a burglary arrest on your record. This is because getting a traditional job can be very challenging when you have a criminal record. Some will pawn jewelry to help themselves raise the funds they require to take care of their everyday needs.
This is a consequence that you’d rather not face. After all, there are only so many times that you can pawn your jewelry because you only have so much of it. When you run out, there’s nothing more that you can do.
A consequence of a burglary arrest on your record may mean that you end up with both the loss of your valuables and a truly desperate state of affairs created by not taking the necessary steps to ensure that you have the money you require. You should be certain that you’re doing everything in your power to ensure you get your finances in order as soon as possible so that you won’t be dealing with the scary feeling of not having enough things to pawn to take care of your basic needs.
9. You Might Become an Outcast
A burglary arrest is a matter of public record, and your local community will likely hear about the crime if you are arrested. People may judge you based on this and have negative beliefs about your moral qualities. Sadly, some are quick to make such judgments before you have even been convicted. You must ensure you don’t commit a crime like this to protect your reputation from damage.
The fact is that while a burglary might seem like it’s not that big of a deal, this is not the truth. There are a vast number of people who have charges from the past on their records that won’t soon go away. Therefore, you should consider this as you look at what might happen and what the fallout could be when you decide to commit a burglary or other theft.
You might think that you don’t care what your reputation says about you, but you will care when it turns out that your reputation could prevent you from obtaining the kind of job you want in the community. Many people find themselves precisely in this situation, and you should make sure you avoid facing this outcome in the future because of something irresponsible that you do today.
10. Crime Might Feel Like the Only Option
Some people feel like crime has become their only option after some time. This is to say that they commit the burglary, and then things become so challenging for them that they end up feeling like the only thing they can do moving forward is to commit additional crimes. This can lead to a downward spiral that causes them to commit more and more crimes over time.
Getting caught in that spiral can feel very demoralizing, and some cannot bounce back out of it. You don’t want to live this kind of existence because it will become much harder for you to take care of the things that matter most to you. Make sure this is something that you avoid so that you aren’t left with the feeling that you can’t possibly make any progress in your life.
The consequences of a decision that you make in a moment of desperation can go on and on for you. Make sure you think about this as you get yourself to the point where you might feel like committing a crime makes sense for you. It does not make sense, and this is never what you should do. Keep yourself on the right path and things will work out better for you.
