Monthly Archives: October 2023
What Kinds of Expungement Are Available in Florida?
The short-term, direct consequences of a criminal conviction, like high fines and extended court supervision, are bad enough. The long-term, collateral consequences could be even worse. Common long-term consequences include immigration and travel issues, security clearance problems, and employment issues. These effects fade over time but never completely disappear. So, a Tampa criminal defense… Read More »
Five Most Common Juvenile Crimes
Recently, many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have determined to get tough on crime. To accommodate this attitude, many local law enforcement agencies have embraced the controversial scared straight theory of juvenile crime enforcement. Advocates claim this approach nips violent crime in the bud. Opponents claim it unfairly targets children and unfairly… Read More »
What’s the Difference Between Standard and Intensive Probation?
As far as probationers are concerned, all probation is intensive. Florida law contains a number of restrictive conditions. The judge isn’t legally required to inform the defendant of these standard conditions at the time of sentencing. Furthermore, Florida law gives judges almost complete discretion to add other conditions, as long as they don’t abuse… Read More »
Can I Get Unsupervised Probation in Florida?
In some states, only certain offenders, like nonviolent offenders, are eligible for unsupervised probation. But in the Sunshine State, the judge may order unsupervised probation in any case. “Unsupervised” doesn’t mean completely unsupervised, at least in most cases. However, this form of probation has, by far, the fewest rules and restrictions to follow. That’s… Read More »
Breaking Down Informal Probation in Florida
The key component of informal probation in the Sunshine State is deferred disposition. Quite simply, the judge “defers” the “disposition” of guilt until the defendant’s probation ends. Otherwise, informal probation is usually identical to standard probation, as outlined below. Probation began as a small, private jail alternative in the Northeast in the 1800s. Today,… Read More »