Have you committed a crime and found yourself on probation? While this may seem like a great way to avoid a more severe punishment like jail time, probation violations are common and can result in more serious consequences. Fortunately, many of the most common violations are easy to prevent with a little planning and a commitment to staying within the letter of the law.
If you want to ensure that you don’t violate your probation with common mistakes, here are some of the most often cited violations that can result in disastrous consequences:
Missing Court or Probation Appointments
Attending all of your court-ordered appointments is a necessity if you want to forego a probation violation that could lead to more charges. Namely, this means that you need to make it to each and every court date and probation meeting with your parole officer. Missing less than a handful of appointments could violate your probation and lead to more serious consequences.
Not Paying Fines
Often, clients on probation may be ordered to pay some type of fine or financial restitution. Failing to pay this sum on time could be problematic for your probation. Prioritize the payment of your fines if you want to avoid more severe consequences.
Alcohol and Drug Tests
Depending on the nature of your crime, you may be subjected to routine alcohol and drug tests. If you’re found to fail either of these types of tests, you will violate your probation agreement. For those who have to get tested, it’s best to abstain from all substances that could impact your probation (even if your consumption is perfectly legal).
No Community Service
If you want to stay within the terms of your probation, you’ll need to plan ahead to ensure that you finish all of your community service hours by the agreed-upon date. Having a lot of community service hours to complete means that you’ll need to have a game plan for getting it done while also working a job. Avoid violating probation simply because of a lack of planning, and get community service checked off your to-do list.
Committing a New Crime
Of course, it goes without saying that committing a different crime will result in a probation violation. Even if you commit a crime of a different nature than your initial crime that resulted in being placed under probation, it can still have far-reaching consequences. It’s best to make sure that you err on the side of the law while on probation to avoid compounding your punishment for a more extended time period.
Get Representation
Whether you’ve violated your probation or want to avoid being placed on probation in the first place, you need the help of a criminal defence attorney. Winnipeg criminal law firms are easy to find, but you need the experts at Brodsky Amy & Gould. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you when you find yourself in legal trouble!
