South Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
In South Florida, and all of its jurisdictions such as Broward County, Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County, a person can be sentenced to a form of pretrial release instead of pretrial detention. This means that until their trial, the person will not be in custody.
There are various forms of pretrial release and all of them have their conditions to be followed, for example not contacting the victim. House arrest can be one form of pretrial release in which the defendant may be obligated to use an electronic device.
In South Florida, a person can be charged with a violation of pretrial release if he or she tampers with the electronic device while under house arrest, or also if he or she makes an attempt to contact the victim. However, in order for the State to violate the defendant, they need to show important findings such as sufficient evidence and reasonable belief that the defendant represents a threat to the community or to the victim.
If you or someone you know has been in house arrest and is now facing a violation of the pretrial release, you should contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer in South Florida.