Many questions about probation focus on specifically what probation officers do. Tampa probation attorneys are often asked about the specifics of what one can anticipate while on probation and their relationship with their probation officer. To answer the above posed question, yes, your probation officer is likely to visit your residence, especially in the first weeks you’ve been put on probation. This visit is essentially twofold.
First, this visit is to ensure that you’re actually residing at the residence you are reporting. Probation requires folks to have a steady and verifiable address. This initial visit is solely to determine whether you’re actually living where you say you’re living. Further, it provides your probation officer an opportunity to meet the folks you’re living with and determine essentially the frequency with which they are going to visit there to ensure you’re abiding by the terms of your probation, including but not limited to curfew, not residing/affiliating with other felons, etc.
Further and secondly, this initial visit gives your probation officer an opportunity to evaluate and search the residence for firearms. This is necessary because the overwhelming majority of folks on probation are not allowed to possess firearms. This initial search gives the probation officer an opportunity to ensure you are initially complying with the terms of your probation. We discuss elsewhere in our Tampa probation blog whether someone can live with someone who possesses firearms while not possessing those firearms themselves. For example, the easiest way to think of this example is that wife is on probation for a felony, while husband, who has not been charged with any offenses or is not a convicted felon, possesses a rifle for hunting and/or self defense. Again, we discuss this situation more in depth elsewhere on our Tampa probation attorney blog.
If you have questions concerning probation and/or your Tampa criminal defense matter, contact the Tampa criminal defense attorneys at Hackworth Law for a free case consultation. We’ve handled thousands of criminal defense matters in the Tampa Bay area and look forward to working with you on a unique specific defense to your criminal charges. If you would like to contact one of our Tampa criminal defense attorneys immediately, please use the “contact us now” tab in the upper right-hand corner of our website.