My question involves criminal law for the state of: Virginia

Like many people on this board I made a stupid mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life....I realize that this will follow me the rest of my life and I will probably never be able to find a job because of my actions.


That being said,

I was caught shoplifting from wal-mart, total amount of items taken was around $88. I was not arrested, however, they did the picture & writeup, a cop came and fingerprinted me there and gave me the citation/summons to appear in court.


I am still waiting to hear back if my financial state qualifies me to get a public defender. My question is that I was wondering what to expect at court and is there anything I should/can do before my court date (its not until mid january) to "help" my situation? I have read about the national association for shoplifting prevention and the program they have....it seems like a good idea to try but I don't know if it would really do any good ....


I am extremely remorseful for what I have done...it was my first offense (first time ever doing this)....and I know I broke the law and deserve the punnishment, I'm just wondering what I can do/expect if I go to court on my own (without a lawyer)...


if it helps, the law enforcement officer told me to possibly (its not a guarantee) expect a 30 day jail sentance - suspended for a year, with 12 months unsupervised probation, along with a $100 fine plus court costs.