Criminal Lawyer
Being on probation is much like being on punishment as a child. There are restrictions laid out and if you disregard those restrictions, there is more trouble for you. What many will not like, is there is not much you can do without permission. In the case of probation, almost every move you make should be confirmed through your probation officer, because one slip can land you back in jail or in jail for the first time, and this is what you are trying to avoid. Unfortunately, what may be simple changes to you, are not to the court system, and things like relocating may not be an option for you if you are on probation. There are some cases where you can, and depending on the crime committed and the rules of your probation, there are some cases where you cannot even do that.
Probation requires you to check in with your probation officer, this is so they know how you are holding up and can properly monitor you without having to watch you like a hawk. Probation officers may run random drug tests, they may show up at your home unannounced, or even call and ask for you to appear somewhere at the last minute. This may sound a little like prison, but this is to prepare you for the normal world and to ensure that you will avoid breaking any laws or committing any criminal acts in the future. It is very difficult, or impossible to do so if you have relocated. They may allow you to move within the same apartment complex, neighborhood, orr even within the same city limits. However, the further you want to move, the more complicated things may get. Moving away does not relieve you of your obligations, and the courts are under no obligation to approve your request just because you want them to. The process to get a new probation officer in a new location takes time that they may not have or do not want to sacrifice, and depending on the terms of your probation, they do not have to do. Speak with a criminal defense attorney in Dekalb County, GA to see what your options are if you are on probation and would like to move, it may not be easy but they will be able to assist you in understanding the terms of your agreement, and if there are any possible loopholes to those terms.
Thanks to Andrew R. Lynch, P.C. for their insight into criminal defense and probation.