Probation can seem like a punishment on top of a punishment. For many individuals in Clearwater, they are placed on some type of probationary period after they have already spent some time in jail. Judges in Clearwater place individuals on probation as part of their punishment and also as a way to monitor their behavior for a given period of time. This “big brother” type of monitoring will hopefully encourage legal behavior during and well after the probation period. Probation sentences are unique to the individual and reflect what the judge in the case feels will accomplish the various goals of probation in general. Generally speaking, individuals convicted of more serious crimes or with a serious criminal record going into court will see much stricter and longer probation periods.
Violating your probation in Clearwater can result in one of two things happening: you go to jail or you receive your original conviction. Even very minor violations can result in major punishments. Here’s a look at what both of those not-so-fun punishments mean:
- Jail Time: Probation often means a lesser no jail time for the crime that you are convicted of. Although you may not feel like you have total freedom during this time, it certainly beats being locked up in a jail cell. With that in mind, many judges feel like they are doing you a huge favor by granting probation and when this favor is offended, so is the judge. If a judge feels that you intentionally violated your probation, then it is very possible that you will receive the maximum sentence for the original underlying crime. Yes, the only you may have somewhat avoided the first time around. If not, then there may be some lesser jail time involved in addition to fines and an extended probation period when you get out.
- Conviction. If the judge in your original case withheld adjudication then that judge may now decide to convict you of the original crime following your Clearwater probation violation. This can turn out to be a big headache for you—not only does this mean harsher punishments but this conviction may not be eligible for expungement. No expungement means that it will be on your record for life.
Your Clearwater probation punishment depends on a lot of factors including: the nature of the original crime, the extent of the violation and the judge. Because of this, working with an attorney can be extremely beneficial to reducing the punishments the judge may want to place on you. Probation can seem like a huge hassle but it is nothing compared to the hassle of dealing with violations.
If you have recently violated the terms of your probation, get in touch with the law firm of Finebloom & Haenel P.A. We know how stressful this time can be for you and will work hard to get you the best results possible. Day or night, give us a call for a free consultation.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.