Probation is in place to give offenders a second chance instead of jail time. However, it comes with very strict rules and harsh consequences if you violate the terms of your probation. Usually, people on probation are required to:
- Meet with a probation officer regularly
- Stay away from certain places or people
- Not committing any additional crimes
- Undergoing tests for drugs or alcohol
- Getting a job or enrolling in school
If you violate probation, there are several things that can happen. Depending on what you did and your history, the consequences of your probation violation may differ from the consequences another person faces.
After you violate probation:
- The court may warn you that you were caught
- You may have to appear in front of the judge to explain yourself
- The judge may decide to give you another chance
- The court may add conditions to the terms of your probation
- The court may charge you a fine
- The judge may extend your probationary period
- The court may decide, in some instances, to send you to jail.
Violating probation is a serious offense because you are losing the trust that the court has placed on you.
The court wants you to be free and stay out of trouble, but if you continuously break the rules, it is harder for the court to be lenient with you in the future.
Depending on the court, the offenses and your circumstances, the judge may decide to scrap probation altogether and send you to jail to finish your sentence, or even extend it beyond the initial sentence.
If you are on probation, it is wise to stay on the right side of the law and follow the conditions of your probation to the letter.
Be honest with your probation officer and stay in contact with them. If possible, speak with them more than what the court requires you to. It never hurts to show that you take the punishment seriously.
Probation is a privilege, not a right. It is important to understand that so you can stay on the right side of the law by fulfilling the requirements of your probation, remaining in contact with your probation officer, contacting them if you have questions at all, letting them know if there is something you want to do that might be seen as a violation and staying out of trouble.