Offenders on Probation, Inmates on Parole
There is a huge difference between parole and probation for a criminal offense. Probation is court ordered, which is usually given as a punishment for committing a crime. Most of the time, probation is an additional punishment that goes along with jail time. Parole is granted to an inmate after serving so much time in prison. Many inmates are released for good behavior or time served and are then offered parole as a probationary period.
Probation
Miami criminal defense attorneys can walk you through every process of probation. When an offender is placed on probation, they have to follow certain rules and standards that the judge has ordered. In most cases, the offender has to follow these rules:
· Be in by a certain curfew
· Stay in the jurisdiction
· Stay away from firearms
· Offender cannot hang around other offenders
It is extremely common for the offender on probation to report for a drug test on a monthly basis or however often the court decides. Most of the time, community service will be added on to the list of reprimands that must be successfully completed by the offender. There are four types of probation.
1. Intensive probation: This can include a GPS monitor or house arrest, and is most common among violent offenders. Law authorities and devices closely watch the offender.
2. Standard supervision: This type of probation is when the offender meets with a probation officer as assigned. Miami criminal defense lawyers will keep up with any information and let the offender know when they receive new information.
3. Unsupervised probation: On this probation, the offender does not have to meet with a probation officer, but must complete any tasks ordered by the court such as community service or paying fines.
4. Pre-trial Diversion: This occurs when the defendant is not guilty of a crime, and the offense is dismissed at the end of the probationary period.
Parole
Parole is for offenders that have served time in prison and are available for release from custody. They finish serving out their time in the community. Mandatory supervision is a lighter sense of parole because the stipulations are not as severe.
The victim of the crime has the right to attend a parole hearing. There are three types of programs that a released inmate is offered.
1. Parole: Offenders that have committed felonies are eligible to release on parole.
2. Conditional release: The inmate released with stipulations until the end of the court ordered sentence, however, this program is not considered an early release.
3. Conditional medical release: This type of release is only available to those inmates that are diagnosed with a terminally ill disease and have less than an expected six months left to live.
Parole is not the same as probation because parole is offered to inmates after having served time. Probation is an option instead of jail time. Miami criminal attorneys can help with the process of a parole hearing and a probationary period. Call (305) 571-9800 and speak to one of the criminal lawyers atPensky & Kim.
