When a judge gives you probation in Georgia, he or she will assign a supervisor to watch you during this time period. The level of supervision depends on the type of crime that you committed and how likely you are to re-offend. If your supervisor believes that you’ve broken the law again, he or she may accuse you of a probation violation.
What are the levels of probation supervision?
If you didn’t commit a serious crime, and the judge thinks you have a low risk of re-offending, he or she may sentence you to standard probation. You’ll still have a supervisor, but your probation won’t have any extra requirements. However, if you committed a serious crime, or the judge thinks you may break the law again, he or she may sentence you to high levels of supervision. This could interfere with your life more than standard supervision would.
If the judge convicts you of a sex crime, he or she may sentence you to specialized probation supervision (SPS). This means that you’ll be heavily supervised and subjected to regular visits from officers. Traveling to another state or using the internet maliciously may lead to a probation violation. The judge may also order you to complete a treatment program.
The judge may sentence you to mental health supervision (MHS) if you have a known mental illness. A Mental Health Officer will help you get your life back together and ensure that you stick to a treatment regimen. While the officer’s main goal is to help, not punish, you, you’ll still have to do everything that he or she says or risk breaking the law again. You may want to contact a probation attorney if you’re having issues with your current officer.
What should you do if your officer accuses you of a violation?
Unlike other crimes, the prosecution doesn’t have to prove that you broke the law beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, the judge could easily convict you of violating your probation when you did not do so. An attorney could help you defend and protect yourself from further legal consequences even if it seems that the odds are against you.