Probation is part of a criminal defendant’s sentence. Probation allows the individual to go about his or her daily business after a jail sentence has been served, if a jail sentence was given.
Palm Desert Probation Violations Lawyers of Coachella Valley
When an individual is serving probation for a crime he or she committed, there are rules that must be followed. If these rules are not followed, a probation violation occurs. The individual will end up back in jail and the probation will be revoked.
Types of violations
Probation needs to be taken seriously. Penalties for probation violation depend on the severity of the violation. If a violation occurs, an arrest will follow quickly. The judge and prosecutor take into consideration the seriousness of the violation and the surrounding circumstances before determining the penalty.
The most common probation violations are:
- Possession of illegal drugs or weapons
- Associating with the wrong kind of people
- Committing another crime
- Being arrested
- Failure to report to probation officer at scheduled time
- Failure to pay restitution to the victim as ordered by the court
- Failure to pay required fines
- Failure to participate in community service as ordered by the court
Probation laws
There are two types of probation:
- Formal or supervised – Individual must meet with an assigned probation officer on a regular basis; usually once a month. This can last from 3 to 5 years, depending on the case.
- Informal or summary – requires the individual to stay out of trouble and complete specific terms. Scheduled meetings are not necessary.
Besides probation, the individual’s sentence can also include some jail time, community service, counseling, drug testing and physical labor.
If you violated the terms of your probation, an experienced Palm Springs probation violations attorney like Dale Gribow will investigate your probation violations case and discuss with you any chance for alternative sentence options.