I'm not sure how to respond directly to the answers you all already gave me, so if you don't mind I'll restate the question:

My boyfriend was arrested for drug charges and sentenced to three years probation in Pensacola, FL. He did well for 6 months and worked 50 hours a week, then messed up and got a DUI. He is sitting in jail now until the 17th which is his VOP hearing. What can I expect? His boss and mother plan on begging for reinstatement/house arrest with work release. He already attended and documented two AA meetings prior to incarceration.

His mom doesn't want to hire an attorney unless she doesn't like what the public defender has to say the day of the hearing... what will happen to him if he doesn't have an attorney?

Thank you everyone so much, it's appreciated.

Hello:

The public defender IS an attorney.

excon

I'm not sure how to respond directly to the answers you all already gave me, so if you don't mind I'll restate the question:

My boyfriend was arrested for drug charges and sentenced to three years probation in Pensacola, FL. He did well for 6 months and worked 50 hours a week, then messed up and got a DUI. He is sitting in jail now until the 17th which is his VOP hearing. What can I expect? His boss and mother plan on begging for reinstatement/house arrest with work release. He already attended and documented two AA meetings prior to incarceration.

His mom doesn't want to hire an attorney unless she doesn't like what the public defender has to say the day of the hearing...what will happen to him if he doesn't have an attorney?

Thank you everyone so much, it's appreciated.


This should be posted as a continuance of the old thread - it's very difficult to keep clicking back and forth to the original post.

That being said - he has an Attorney, one he's not paying for, the Public Defender. I don't know how his mother is going to judge what the Public Defender is saying/telling her. The Public Defender (aside from a heavy caseload) is no more or less familiar with the process than a "private" Attorney. Depending on your boyfriend's age and financial status the Public Defender MAY be required to be replaced by a "private" Attorney. I don't know how many Court appearances he's had and if that determination has been made.

As far as what can happen - he could get violated, he could sit in jail, he could get fined, he could get forgiven, he could get probation. Nobody knows until you're standing in front of the Judge. If he did 2 AA meetings in 6 months that is not going to look good for him. I've seen people required to attend 3 a week!

I am currently in the work release program in pensacola and have yet to hear someone in there after a vop. The frown highly on vop and dui so all I can say is he better have his abilities to sway the judge up to par. You can talk them out of allot of things. Me I had a no bond 1st degree misd. And I swayed them to give me ptr and work release. Much luck though