Supervised Probation in Washington, DC

For most kinds of suspended sentencing, the judge will order supervision by a probation office. A person under supervised probation is assigned an officer who is given significant discretion on the level of oversight for their case. The supervising office will often make various decisions about the terms of the probationary period, which may change over time depending whether the person complies with all the conditions.

If you are under supervised probation in Washington, DC, it is recommended that you consult an experienced legal advisor for any concerns or questions regarding your obligations. A well-informed lawyer could help you fully understand your requirements to avoid violations or assist in contesting any excessive or unfeasible conditions.

Supervised Check-Ins for Probation

In addition to potential assessment programs or community service fulfillments, the probation office may require a person to report a certain number of check-ins per week or month. Those check-ins could be either in-person or over the phone, and they often start at one or two per week. However, the frequency of required check-ins could decrease for regular compliance with all the rules of the probation officer.

For example, a supervising officer may start a person off at weekly in-office check-ins that eventually decrease to weekly or monthly phone calls after a period of time. At a certain point, the probation office may even decide that they can convert a supervised probation to unsupervised if the DC resident continually fulfilled all the terms of their sentencing.

Can I Leave DC if I am on Probation?

As a general condition of most supervised probations, the office can restrict people’s movements in certain ways. However, most supervised probation conditions allow a person to leave their city or state in some capacity. Often, the probation office will require a person to get special permission from their supervising officer if they are going to be leaving the DC metropolitan area for a certain length of time.

If a person under supervised probation wants to leave the country, they usually must get permission from the judge to do so. In most cases, the person is allowed to leave only for a specific duration of time, and only if they have otherwise been in compliance with their probation. A proficient attorney in the area could help a person on probation to request travel allowances from the judge.

Probation Curfews

It is important for any DC resident on probation to understand the movement restrictions of their specific conditions. In higher levels of supervision, a person may have curfews from the evening to early morning hours. This is not a common condition of supervised probation, but a person could face higher-level movement restrictions if they are deemed to be a flight risk to the community.

However, if a person believes their probation officer is imposing unnecessary or excessive curfews, then a skilled attorney could help them challenge those restrictions. The judge would have the final say on whether to keep the curfew, modify the restrictions, or eliminate them.

Change of Residence under Supervised Probation

In most supervised probationary periods, a person will have to verify their Washington, DC address with their probation officer. This is because the officer may conduct occasional home inspections to see if the person’s living situation is appropriate, if there are drugs or weapons in the home, or if anything else might be in violation of the supervised probation requirements.

If a person is going to change addresses or move out of the DC metropolitan area, they need to get the permission of the probation officer first. The supervisor could potentially inspect the new residence or otherwise verify that it is a true address before the person is allowed to move. Therefore, the probation officer must always have a verified address for the person they are supervising. For those who do not have permanent residences in DC or are homeless, a seasoned attorney could suggest alternative solutions, such as using the address of a shelter, friend, or family member.

Ask an Attorney about Supervised Probation in Washington, DC

If you were recently put under supervised probation in Washington DC, it is best to go over your conditions with dedicated legal counsel. A skilled lawyer could explain your check-in requirements and help ensure compliance with all other probation terms, which could lead to decreased supervision in the future. Call our firm today for supportive legal guidance.