PROBATION & PAROLE

If you are placed on probation or given parole in Georgia, you are essentially serving a jail sentence outside of jail. Most of the time, you are subject to strict restrictions on where you can go, how you can act, and whom you can associate with. Because these conditions are so restrictive, even a small lapse in judgement, or even an honest mistake, can result in a violation of your conditions of release. This can land you back in court, looking at the possibility of being sent to jail (or sent back to jail, in a parole case). Usually, probation violation or revocation cases go back before the same judge that ordered the initial sentence. If he or she finds that you violated your probation, that judge may amend, modify, terminate, or even revoke a negotiated sentence. The consequences are even more severe where someone is alleged to have violated the terms of probation by committing a new crime.

For people sentenced under the First Offender Act, proof of a probation violation can result in revocation of First Offender Status, which means that you can be labeled a convicted felon for the rest of your life and potentially sent to prison for up to the maximum allowable sentence for the original offense.

Probation and parole violation cases are extremely challenging. The deck is stacked against you, and the risks are incredibly high. This is why, if you are facing a Georgia probation violation, Georgia probation revocation, Georgia parole violation, or Georgia parole revocation, you need to talk to an aggressive attorney with significant experience defending these matters. If you fall into this category, contact me today.