Probation Services & Duties

Felony Probation and/or Parole is handled by a State agency called the Department of Corrections. It is not a division of the Unified Trial Court. To contact this department, see Court Contacts.

In the District Division, the Probation Department supervises and assists persons placed on probation, conducts investigations, and prepares pre-sentence reports. This department handles misdemeanor convictions.

Probation is an option that the court can use in determining the penalty a defendant must pay for a criminal conviction. It is not a right guaranteed a defendant. By the granting of probation, the court imposes a sentence. The court has determined that the defendant is not likely to engage in further criminal activity and that the defendant is not a threat to the public. The maximum length of a sentence of probation in the district division may not be greater than two years.

In addition to the general conditions of probation, the court may require the defendant to carry out other special conditions, such as:

• Attending certain programs
• Performing community service
• Refraining from certain activities
• Serving time in jail

At the end of the probation period, and when the probationer (the person placed on probation) has met all of the conditions of probation, the probation officer will submit a Petition to Discharge to the judge.