Felony Probation Terms
- Felony probation terms prohibit the possession of any weapons.gun image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
When an individual commits a crime, the judge may offer her the opportunity to be placed on supervised release, or probation, instead of sending her to prison. Probation can last from one to seven years, or even longer, depending on the offense. During this time, a probation officer supervises the offender to ensure she abides by the probation terms and conditions and remains law-abiding. Should the defendant fail to comply, she may be sentenced to prison at the judge's discretion. - Most defendants who receive supervised release are placed on standard probation. At sentencing, the judge will impose the probation conditions. The defendant must regularly and personally report to a probation officer, usually one to two times per month. Additional terms include: do not leave the state or move without permission; do not commit any crimes; notify probation officer of any contact with law enforcement personnel; do not possess any weapons of any type; complete all counseling and community service hours as ordered; pay all court fees; do not use any illegal drugs; and take drug tests as ordered by the court.
- Intensive probation supervision (IPS), also known as home arrest, monitors offenders more strictly than standard probation. Judges may place some individuals on IPS based on the nature of the crime, if they have previous criminal records or if they previously have been granted probation. A probation team of two people supervises these offenders and may contact them at any time up to four times a week at work, home or in the community. IPS terms also include additional community service hours and more structured payment of court fees. Some jurisdictions may include electronic monitoring via ankle bracelets as part of IPS.
- Some jurisdictions offer specialized caseloads for certain offenders who have committed the same types of crimes. These probationers are grouped according to need to facilitate supervision. Specialized caseloads may include first-time drug offenders, sex offenders, domestic violence offenders, white collar criminals or gang members. They receive additional probation terms to address their specific supervision needs. Some of these terms include not living near a school (sex offenders); providing financial information to the probation officer (white collar); not wearing any gang colors; abiding by any order of protection (domestic violence); and completing drug court as directed.
