Violation of Probation or Parole

If you or a loved one is serving probation or parole, you may already know that a probationer or parolee does not have the same Constitutional rights as a criminal defendant. As a probationer or parolee, you are not afforded the strict protections of the United States Constitution. Your probation officer or parole officer has broad discretion to search your home, remove you from your home, and conduct alcohol and drug tests.

Most important, your parole or probation officer can declare you in violation of probation or parole and have you put in jail without the benefit of a prior hearing or trial.

Only after your probation or parole officer has declared you in violation of the terms of your sentence and put you in jail will an evidentiary hearing be held to determine if you are, in fact, in violation.

Because probation and parole are seen as privileges and not rights, the government does not have to put on a lot of evidence to prove to the judge that you are in violation. Even so, legal representation at your probation or parole violation hearing can help.

Schatz, Anderson & Associates, LLC, is a Utah criminal defense law firm that offers legal representation to individuals facing charges of probation or parole violation. We represent clients throughout Utah, including in Salt Lake City, Vernal, Provo and Ogden. Our attorneys have more than 40 years’ combined experience practicing criminal law, and we have extensive experience with the types of strategies that may prove successful in a probation violation hearing.

We will attend the hearing on your behalf, and we can argue against the charge that you violated the terms of your probation or parole. We can also use evidence of your cooperation to request the judge’s leniency. In addition, we can fight to get your revoked probation restarted. Although restarting your revoked probation may add time onto your sentence, it will also get you out of jail.