Detroit Violation of Probation (VOP) Attorney

A VOP can be More Serious than the original offense
It's like telling the Judge to "F____Off

When a judge sentences you to probation, he expects you to live up to the terms of that probation. And if you violate the judge's orders, think of it as telling the Judge that you are not going to listen to him or her. More than ever, you need an experienced and aggressive Probation Violation Attorney to defend you.

When a judge orders probation, they will typically will require the defendant to report to probation monthly, refrain from any other criminal conduct, abstain from using alcohol or drugs, and be subjected to random drug screens and or alcohol breath tests. In addition, the judge will require the defendant to pay a probation oversight fee which may be as high as $40 per month. It may be less if the defendant can show good cause why it should be lowered. The length of time a judge may impose probation is typically 1 year for misdemeanors but the judge can impose probation for a maximum of 5 years on a felony charge.

When a probation violation occurs, the defendant may be ordered to court for a probation violation hearing or VOP hearing. Where, as in a criminal matter, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed a crime, at a VOP hearing, the Prosecutor only has the burden to prove that a probation violation occurred by a preponderance of the evidence or a belief of 51% that the defendant violated probation. So even though you may have committed a crime while on probation and you were not convicted of that crime, you still could found guilty of violating probation.

If you have violated probation there are many things you can do to reduce the impact. An experienced probation violation attorney can contact your probation officer and inform him or her of the violation before they learn it on their own. Our office can also recommend certain actions that may convince the prosecutor, your probation agent, or even the judge to give you a second chance.

No one, especially a Judge, likes to be told that you are ignoring them. So, in this situation, the Defendant must convince the Judge, that you do take them seriously, that you deserve a second chance, and that the Judge should not terminate probation and put you in jail. This is especially true for those who are on some type of diversion status because if the Judge revokes probation, the original charge will now appear on your criminal record. Schmierlaw can recommend certain actions you can take to convince the Judge that you do take him or her seriously and that the violation was merely a setback.