This guide will help explain what to do if you can’t get ahold of your Bexar County Probation Officer or Bexar County Community Supervision Officer. Not reporting and committing a new crime are the two most common reasons a probationer violates his or her probation. Many times, probation officers are not invested in their probationers successfully completing their probation. Because most probationers don’t have experience with the criminal justice system, they are surprised to find that their probation officer will not “work with them.”
If there is one thing that Bexar County Probation Officers believe it is that probation should be the most important thing in the lives of their probationers, and if there is one thing that Bexar County Probation Officers are famous for it’s not answering the phone or calling their probationers back. So, what happens if something occurs that makes it impossible for you to go to your probation appointment? You call your probation officer and they don’t answer. You leave messages and they don’t call back. What do you do?
Go to Your Appointment
First, if you have an appointment with your Bexar County Probation or Community Supervision Officer you should go to that appointment. Do not try to reschedule. Just go to the appointment. What if your probation officer tells you it’s okay? Go to the appointment anyway. It is the oldest probation officer trick in the book to tell you that they will reschedule your appointment and then file a Motion to Revoke Probation (MTR).
Sometimes you can’t go to the appointment. One reason may be that a parent or loved one falls ill. They get sick and you have to do something that is more important than probation. As a criminal defense attorney, I have seen probation officers violate probationers for all kinds of legitimate excuses. They tell the probationer that it’s okay that they miss the appointment that they’ll reschedule for next month and then file a violation report (VR). I once had a client whose grandfather passed away and she had to travel to another county to go to the funeral. When she presented the program as proof of his passing and proof of her attendance at the funeral the probation officer filed a violation claiming that she didn’t report and that she left the county without permission.
What Can I do if my Probation Officer Won’t Answer my Calls and Won’t Call Back?
There is a solution, but it involves hiring a lawyer. Probation officers believe that they are in charge. They are not in charge. Probation officers work for District Court and County Court judges. All judges in Bexar County believe in doing justice. They do not appreciate it when probation officers play games with probationers. I remember when the lady who went to her grandfather’s funeral hired me. I remember thinking that if she had just contacted me, I could have asked the judge for permission and saved her the cost of posting bond and going to jail. As lawyers we can file Motions to Modify Conditions of Community Supervision. Usually, judges grant these motions especially when you are looking to travel for work or family purposes. Remember, judges don’t like playing games. Additionally, if you travel you need to expect to be drug tested when you return.
Conclusion
If you have a Bexar County Probation Officer or Community Supervision Officer that won’t call you back and you need to change something about your probation, you should call us today at (210) 361-3113. We handle these matters all the time. We can file a motion for a small retainer and work with you on a payment plan if it is necessary. These motions will help you avoid going to jail and avoid warrants being issued for your arrest. In these troubled times it is more important than ever.