A fourteen year old isn’t going to end up in prison for pilfering a video game. While technically it is breaking the law, the owner of the game, or the parents of the owner, would have to charge him. Probably not much would be done, unless he has a criminal record already. Nevertheless, crime done by people under 18, if they’re to be locked away, gets them into what I typically know as juvenile hall, which is a correctional facility for people under 18. I guess it pretty much is prison, but a lot more secure for the inmates than a prison for adults. Still, to get in there, you have to smash windows, steal from stores, beat the shit out of people or have many petty crimes stacking up.
No I’ve never been to juvenile hall lol, but I hung out with tough crowds and known many people who have been, and they had a lot of stories to tell. Maybe it depends what state/province you’re in, (I’ve heard some places don’t even have those types of places at all) but I really don’t think stealing from a family member will get a kid locked up.
As for his possible future, it’s really scary how many kids who live in questionable environments never get any help or guidance. People have to report these things to places like ’‘child and family services’’, or whatever it’s called everywhere else, and repeatedly at that. If he’s bad enough of a criminal, an investigation about his current living condition will probably be undertaken. This could lead to a lot of different things, (or nothing at all) highest scenario is the parent(s) lose custody of the kid.
But in this case, it seems a whole in between the family thing, which again, unless someone charges him or takes legal action of some kind, I wouldn’t expect much to be done about it. This kid definitely needs guidance…what kind of loving parent doesn’t care that their kid is downing allergy medicine? :(