When to Worry About Probation Violations

Probation is the system’s way of “letting someone off easily.” The alternative, of course, is jail time. Despite it being seen as an offender getting the “easy” way out, probation is still extremely serious and is not to be taken lightly. There are many different ways to violate your parole, but some are more serious than others. We wanted to take some time today to go over some of the different kinds of probation violations we see in Carroll County.

There are two different categories for the many different possible violations, revocable and technical, the former being the harsher of the two.

Revocable Offenses

Revocable offenses authorize the judge to activate your paused prison sentence and send you to prison for your full amount of time. There are only two revocable violations, new criminal convictions and absconding:

New Criminal Convictions

The entire idea of probation is to incentivize good behavior, so breaking the law while on probation is a big no-no. Being charged with a new crime is not enough to count as a violation of probation, but a conviction will lead to the judge sending you to jail for your entire sentence.

Absconding

Absconding in this sense does not necessarily mean you committed an offense in full-out Bonnie & Clyde fashion, though that certainly would violate your probation. Typically, those who are found to have absconded have either moved from their original residence to a different location while on probation, or changed their phone number, without notifying their probation officer. Absconding is an extremely serious offense and will usually result in you serving jail time.

Technical Offenses

Technical violations include things like missing appointments with your officer, testing positive for routine drug tests, not paying fines in their entirety, and other minor offenses. While usually not as serious as a revocable offense, technical violations can still cause you trouble. Committing a technical offense could lead the judge to extend your probation or punish you with a Confinement in Response to Violation (CRV). In layman’s terms, a CRV means jail time. CRVs can be assessed for any amount of days up until the total number of days you were initially given, though 90 days is the limit. The best way to avoid a CRV is to avoid violating your Carroll County probation.

Get Help With Your Probation Violation

Whether the judge is levying revocable or technical offenses against you, the first thing you should do is contact an experienced Carroll County probation attorney. Working with an experienced lawyer at Albers & Associates could be the difference between you remaining free on probation and you being put behind bars.

If you need help with your Carroll County probation violation, please contact us to schedule your free consultation today.