Are You Eligible for an Early Termination of Your Pinellas County Probation?
Benefits of an Early Termination of Probation:
- Greater freedom
- Termination of monthly reporting
- Elimination of future cost of supervision fees
- Avoids the risk of re-arrest and incarceration associated with a violation
What are My Chances for an Early Termination?
When reviewing these motions, Pinellas County Judges often consider:
- The time you have already successfully served on probation or house arrest;
- Whether you have been re-arrested or charged with a new offense since being placed on supervision;
- Whether your restitution, court costs, and supervision fees are up to date.
Motions for "early termination" of probation and motions to "rollover" remaining periods of community control into regular probation are routinely heard by our Pinellas County Courts. Regardless of the nature of your original offense, Florida law provides you with the opportunity to petition for this relief.
Can My Probation or Community Control Officer Help?
Your probation or community control officer will be asked by the Judge to rate your performance thus far. It is therefore important to continue to maintain a good relationship with him or her. However, you should know:
1.) It is the job of your probation or community control officer to oversee your case for your entire supervision period.
2.) It is not their job to schedule a hearing, file a written motion with the court, and to make argument on your behalf for an early termination of your probation.
3.) It makes very little difference to your probation or community control officer whether you terminate your probation or community control early. Their number of supervised cases will typically remain the same.
4.) The only people who are concerned about your best interests in the criminal justice system are you and the attorney that represents you. You can't count on employees of the Florida Department of Corrections or Salvation Army Corrections for their help in getting you off of probation or community control early. In fairness, it's simply not their job to represent your best interests to the judge. Their responsibility is limited to simply reporting your sucess or failure in complying with the original terms and conditions of your probation or community control sentence.
5.) The legal fees associated with hiring an attorney to file a motion for early termination are often much less expensive then you might think.
We Are Experienced St. Petersburg / Clearwater Lawyers Who Can Help
-- Let Us Schedule Your Case for an Early Termination --
The attorneys at Russo & Russo have handled countless motions for early termination. We are accustomed to routinely appearing in front of our local Pinellas County Judges seeking this remedy. We will seek to make the most persuasive arguments and showcase the success you have achieved thus far in completing the terms of your sentence. We are also familiar with additional arguments that may further justify the Court's decision to grant an early termination of probation or community control in your case. We can get your case scheduled on the court docket quickly. In many cases, this tactic may be sucessful in enabling our client to avoid having to pay the cost of supervision fees for the upcoming month. Securing an early termination of your probation avoids the continual threat of being sentenced to the Pinellas County Jail or Florida State Prison for a violation of your probationary terms.
Call our office to learn if your case is a good candidate at (727) 578-0303.
Consultations are free, and we can discuss your options over the phone.
Related Links:
