By Joseph Devine
If you are convicted of a crime but do not seem to be at a high risk of making the same mistake again, the judge may be lenient and put you on probation instead of sending you to prison. Probation is a period of time during which you must live up to a certain standard of behavior. If you fail to meet this standard, you will be expected to serve your full sentence. It is up to the judge or probation officer to determine the length of your probation, the exact guidelines you are to follow and the length of time you will serve if your probation is revoked.
Parole is somewhat similar to probation, except that is it granted to people who have already served part of their prison sentence. When a judge hands down a sentence, it will specify the amount of time the convicted person must spend in prison before they are eligible for parole. For example, a sentence of “twenty years to life” means that the prisoner may apply for parole in twenty years; if it is never granted, they will spend the rest of their life in prison. Parole is offered to prisoners in exchange for exceptionally good behavior and other indications that they will probably not reoffend, such as lining up a permanent residence and employment outside of prison. This offer always comes with strings; once released from prison, a person is expected to follow certain guidelines. If they fail to do so, they can be sent back to prison for the remainder of their original sentence, plus additional time if they commit another crime while out of prison.
Common requirements for people offered one of these options are taking and passing regular drug tests, regular meetings with a probation or parole officer, maintaining employment, and staying within state lines. Additional requirements are sometimes listed, such as sticking to a curfew and not fraternizing with any other convicted criminals. It is up to the PO to decide which and how many guidelines a parolee or person on probation will have to follow. Generally, breaking the law is an automatic violation of the guidelines.
If a person violates one of these rules, they may receive a warning from their PO, or the officer may decide to revoke the person’s parole or probation. If the officer chooses the latter, the person is entitled to a legal hearing to determine if they are truly guilty.
For more information on these and related laws, contact [http://kohlerandhart.com/]Milwaukee probation and parole revocation lawyers Kohler & Hart.
Joseph Devine
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