If you’ve been to court, and the judge gave you probation before judgement, or gave you a suspended sentence, then you’ll be placed into probation. Probation is a special set of rules that apply just to you that are set by the judge. Generally it’s a year, 18 months, or in Circuit Court it could be up to 5 years.
Let’s say you violate the terms and conditions of your probation. What do you do? First, don’t try to run away or avoid your probation officer. Go to your P.O., find out what you did wrong, and see if you can make it right. Many times this can be simply a matter of finishing the alcohol training course or drug education. Even if probation is over, let’s get it fixed by finding out what went wrong. If you get charged with a new crime, we may still be able to mitigate what’s going to go on between you and the judge. It’s important to call an attorney when you have a violation of your probation because often times there is a bench warrant attached to it, and an attorney may be able to get that bench warrant quashed. Any time there’s a violation of probation, much will need to be prepared before going before the judge to explain the circumstances of your VOP. Depending on the violation, jail time can be avoided with the proper counseling and preparation by your attorney. This will not be easy, and will take additional time to fix.
Maryland changed some of its laws regarding parole and probation violations, so you may need more help than you think.
At Drew Cochran, Attorney at Law, you work with an Annapolis criminal defense lawyer who knows how to protect you if you’re accused of violating probation or parole. To learn more about what I can do to help, please call 410-271-1892 or fill out this contact form.
You don’t have to face this alone. If you’re accused of a crime, take a deep breath and remember: Keep Calm – and Call Drew.
