According to Florida law, probation is a type of community supervision requiring an offender to maintain contact with specified officers, such as probation, parole, and community supervision officers. Offenders also need to abide by certain terms or conditions specified by court order. Probation is a privilege, not a right. In some court cases, it isn’t even considered a formal sentence. According to most people, it is also preferable to serving time in prison. However, people occasionally violate the terms of their probation, intentionally and unintentionally.
Why a lawyer would be helpful if you are accused of violating the terms of your probation is that the prosecution must meet a minimum standard of proof and establish the violation was willful and substantial enough to merit punishment for the breach. Also, the violations are decided on a case by case basis. An experienced Jacksonville criminal defense lawyer will be familiar with previous court cases regarding probation violations and can help defend your case against the charges brought against you by the prosecution. Your attorney would also be familiar with the types of defenses often used in similar cases.
If you are accused of violating your probation, the court can impose any sentence that might originally have been imposed on you during your original sentencing. You could be sentenced up to the statutory maximum penalty for the original offense.
Make sure you are appropriately defended in court by a skilled attorney. Owenby Law, P.A. has more than a decade of experience protecting people’s rights. We have successfully represented people in thousands of cases. Trust our dedicated lawyers with your case. Contact us at (904) 770-3141 to schedule a free, initial 30-minute consultation so we can understand your situation better. We look forward to hearing from you.