What is Court Supervision?
Court Supervision is a type of sentence that a judge might order you to complete. It is between a conviction and a “not guilty”. It allows the court to make you pay fines and court costs and perform certain tasks. For example, you might have to complete community service or drug and alcohol treatment. Provided you fulfill the court supervision requirements, the court will not place a conviction on your record.
What is a violation of Court Supervision?
A violation occurs when you do not complete part of your sentence. For example, if you don’t complete the community service or any treatment the judge ordered. You will also face a violation if you are arrested for another case during your court supervision period.
How is a violation handled?
If a violation occurs for not paying the fine, you can usually simply pay the fine before your court date. If you incur a violation for not completing treatment, completing treatment before your court date will make the prosecutor much more likely to withdraw the violation. Should you need more time to complete the treatment, an attorney should be with you to request the additional time. However, if your violation results from a new case, the only way to have the violation withdrawn is to have the new case dismissed, without any type of sentence.
Do you need an attorney if a violation of Court Supervision is filed against you?
Generally, yes. Even if you pay the fine or complete treatment, it is possible that a court will still re-sentence you. If a good, experienced attorney represents you, you will very likely keep your original sentence.
Why is keeping Court Supervision important?
Because court supervision is not a conviction, it’s important that you avoid a conviction by doing everything the judge requires. A conviction can lead to more serious consequences. For example, if you lose court supervision on a DUI case, the state will revoke your driver’s license. Furthermore, if the state re-sentences you and a future court convicts you, courts will subsequently be more likely to convict you because you failed to satisfactorily complete your prior sentence.
For more specific information and to review the facts of your case, call Attorney Young for a no-obligation consultation.