One thing those accused of criminal activity often have a great deal of anxiety about is the possibility of having to serve time in prison.
The most obvious way to avoid a prison sentence is to not be convicted. However, a conviction does not automatically mean prison time is a foregone conclusion. For example, in some cases, a court will opt to give a convicted individual probation rather than have them serve prison time.
An important thing to note though is that being given probation rather than prison time does not mean that the possibility of going to prison completely disappears. Certain things can put a person who is on probation at great risk of ending up having to serve prison time. One is being accused of violating probation terms. A list of some of the more common probation terms can be found on this page of our website.
Now, there are options a person accused of a probation violation may have for trying to prevent the accusations from resulting in them having their probation revoked and ending up behind bars. Such options might include: challenging an incorrect allegation, negotiating sanctions, negotiating added probation terms or seeking out relevant treatment options.
What actions a person accused of a probation violation takes before and during probation revocation hearings can impact what sorts of such options they have and how likely the various options would be to actually help them avoid prison time. Consequently, having strong legal guidance from the get-go can be very important when facing probation violation accusations. Thus, when a person who is on probation is accused of violating the terms of their probation order, one of the first things they should consider doing is talking with a skilled criminal defense attorney about the accusations.