Shoplifting is when someone hides a store item and leaves without paying for it. In Alaska, this is called “concealment of merchandise,” and it’s a kind of theft. The person doesn’t even have to leave the store — just hiding the item on them is enough to break the law, as long as they knew what they were doing. Theft can also happen when someone uses a service, like a taxi ride, and doesn’t pay for it. How serious the punishment is depends on how much the stolen stuff is worth, and whether the person has done this before. If they steal something small, it’s a smaller crime. If they steal something worth a lot of money, or steal it many times, the punishment gets much bigger.

If you shoplift in Alaska, how much trouble you’re in depends on how much the stolen stuff is worth. If it’s worth less than $250, it’s a smaller crime with up to 90 days in jail. If it’s worth $250 to $750, it’s a bigger misdemeanor with up to a year in jail. If it’s worth $750 or more, it becomes a felony, and you could go to jail for up to 5 years. If someone steals a gun, that’s automatically a felony no matter what it’s worth. People who have shoplifted before, even for smaller amounts, can get a harsher punishment than someone doing it for the first time.

If you are under 18 and get caught shoplifting in Alaska, you might get to go to Youth Court instead of regular court — but only in places that actually have a Youth Court set up, since not every town has one. Going to Youth Court is a choice, and both you and your parent have to agree to it. If the case is decided in a regular court instead, the judge has to order you to do community service — that part isn’t optional. The judge might also make you go to a class about why stealing is wrong, but that’s not an official rule written in the law — it’s more something a judge could choose to add as one of the conditions you have to follow.