If you are convicted of a criminal offense in Los Angeles County, you may be granted probation by the court or you may be required to serve a period of probation as part of your sentence after completing jail time. Probation allows the defendant provisional freedom on the condition of promised good behavior. In effect, if you promise to obey the law and follow any conditions imposed by the court, you are allowed to live and work in the community as a free individual. However, probation also puts you on a short leash. During the usual 3-year probation period, you are required to report to a probation officer, usually on a monthly basis, and keep the officer informed or your whereabouts. (Summary probation does not require reporting to a probation officer.) There may also be other requirements imposed by the court with which you must comply that the probation officer will monitor. Probation is a trial period. If you follow the rules, you earn your freedom. Screw up and you're back in jail.
I got to thinking about probation when I read about the death of respected Los Angeles County probation officer Mary Ridgway in the Los Angeles Times. A 42-year veteran of the L.A. County Probation Department, Mary saw it all. An expert on Eastside gangs, Mary guided more than 5,000 youths through the Los Angeles probation system. She was not afraid to drive the barrio streets to check up on her charges or haul probation violators back to jail. But she also spent countless hours of her own time shepherding young offenders to museums, restaurants, sports events and concerts in an effort to help them succeed. Mary gave many of her charges the encouragement to graduate from high school and go on to college. She helped many others find jobs. It was no surprise that many former gang members and young offenders were among the 700 mourners who attended her funeral.
"She believed success is not how many you can lock up but how many can have lives," Father Gregory Boyle, a well-known gang interventionist, told the Los Angeles Times. That's the essence of probation. It gives offenders a chance to turn their lives around and provides some support and guidance to help them succeed. During probation offenders may be required to attend counseling sessions, perform community service, complete physical labor or undergo drug testing. Activities are monitored by the probation officer. "In Los Angeles County and the State of California, if a defendant breaks any of the rules imposed upon him or her during the probationary period, his or her probation can be revoked and jail time could be required," warns expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez.
Next time: What happens if you break probation?
Im on summary probation for domestic violance from july 2008 out of van nuys court and I got a dui this may 09 I plead out in the hill street court house a couple weeks ago hill strret did not violate me ut will van buys do I need an attorney