If you are fortunate enough to receive probation, missing an appointment with your Probation Officer, should NEVER BE AN OPTION. Again, MISSING AN APPOINTMENT SHOULD NEVER BE AN OPTION. Often felony probation violation consequences are harsh and are given without hesitation by the court, and the mere act of missing a scheduled appointment with your probation officer can be seen by the court and your probation officer as willful non-compliance to the conditions of your probation.
If You’ve Missed Your Probation Office Appointment
If you’ve missed your appointment with your probation officer, contact them IMMEDIATELY. Chances are, you may need to have the number of a probation violation lawyer. The consequences can escalate quickly depending on whether it's your first probation violation or part of a pattern, and whether it's treated as a technical violation or something more serious. If you're on felony probation, review our guide on felony probation violation consequences as well. If you do, call The Law Office of Jesse K. Sanchez at (317) 721-9858. We are here and ready to help.
If you’ve missed your appointment, be prepared to provide some form of written documentation as to why you’ve missed your meeting with your officer.
Reasons a Probation Officer May Let You Miss
There are some situations where an officer might allow the probationer to miss an appointment and those reasons are:
- Travel out of town for a mandatory work duty,
- A serious car accident
- If you were in the hospital
- Funeral
- A Parent/Teacher meeting or school emergency
Travel is one of the most common reasons for a missed appointment — see our guide on probation travel restrictions for how to request permission the right way.
Once you’ve had an established track record of fulfilling the conditions of probation such as:
- Paying fines/fees
- Completing community service work
- Attending mandatory counseling or therapy
- Attending mandatory drug and alcohol classes and meetings regularly
If you’ve established that type of track record with your probation officer, then the PO is far more likely to be okay with an excused missed appointment, and won’t file a violation with you. MAKE CERTAIN THAT IF YOU RECEIVE PERMISSION FOR A MISSED MEETING WITH YOUR PROBATION OFFICER, GET THEIR APPROVAL IN WRITING.
It’s important that no matter what, you are far more likely to avoid running afoul of your probation officer by asking for permission. NOT FOR FORGIVENESS. And finally, if you believe that you are going to miss an appointment with probation, let the Probation Officer know, and give them as much advance notice as possible. It’s very easy to give advance notice to your officer for a missed appointment. With that in mind, if a probationer fails to show up without notice, the officer will more than likely conclude that there is no intention of showing up again, and may ultimately decide to ask the Judge for an arrest warrant, especially if this is not the first time the probationer has screwed up.
An Indiana Violation of Probation Attorney
If you’ve missed your appointment with probation, contact your probation officer immediately. If you have been violated by your officer, call Indianapolis Probation Violation Lawyer Jesse K. Sanchez a call at (317) 721-9858 today. An experienced probation violation attorney Indianapolis residents trust can often resolve a missed appointment before it becomes a formal violation. And if it's connected to a pending case, an Indianapolis criminal defense lawyer can handle both matters together.
