Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

House Arrest: An Alternative to Avoid Jail

In Los Angeles, a defendant may be able to avoid sitting in jail by serving time on House Arrest, which is also known as Electronic Monitoring, Home Confinement or Home Detention. It is a workable alternative for many people who meet the eligibility requirements. Are you facing conviction for a crime and are looking for a substitute for jail? At Stephen G. Rodriguez and Partners, we have had many defendants complete their time on house arrest and Never Set Foot in Jail. Please contact a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at our firm to find out more about alternative senencing such as house arrest and electronic monitoring. You may be eligible.

Attorney in Los Angeles Defending Criminal Charges

In Los Angeles, participation in electronic monitoring may be court-issued or your criminal defense attorney can ask the court to have you assessed for eligibility. Even if you are already in jail, you may be eligible to serve out the rest of your sentence on house arrest. The Los Angeles electronic monitoring program considers offenders for house arrest who have committed felonies as well as misdemeanors although offenders with a history of violence, or who have committed drug crimes involving sales or manufacturing, or sex crimes are generally not eligible. With our attorneys' 70 years of combined legal experience, we have been successful in providing sentencing alternatives to jail for many of our clients.

Electronic Monitoring Conditions

If you are eligible for house arrest, the court will determine your monitoring conditions, that is, what you are allowed to do while you are being electronically monitored. Some of your conditions and restrictions may include the following:

• Most often allowed to go to work
• May be allowed to attend school, church, medical appointments, AA meetings
• Must adhere to a curfew
• May be subjected to alcohol and drug testing
• May be required to attend an alcohol/drug program.

Once deemed eligible, the County of Los Angeles Probation Department contracts with a company that you will be referred to in order to obtain your electric monitoring equipment. This company will also provide status and non-compliance reports to the Probation Department. Depending on your living situation, your equipment will operate through your telephone, be wireless or will be a GPS system. You will be required to wear an electronic bracelet with a sensor on your ankle at all times during your home confinement and the distance you can go from home is programmed into the ankle bracelet. If you tamper with the system or go beyond the programmed area, it is reported to the Probation Department. Also, please be aware that If you violate your electronic monitoring conditions, you can be arrested and put in jail. Although there is a cost to participate, the amount can be determined by your probation agent using a sliding fee scale based on your ability to pay.

House arrest is just one option to consider if you are looking for an alternative to jail. You may also be eligible for other sentencing programs such as diversion, community service and city jail/private jail. If you have a job that you don't want to lose, a family that needs you or treatment that must be accessed outside of a jail setting, you have plenty of reasons to require house arrest or another alternative to jail. We can help you and look forward to your contact to schedule your consultation.

We invite you to contact a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer at your earliest opportunity if you are in need of an alternative to a straight jail sentence.