Throughout the country, when someone is sentenced for a crime, they do not always need to serve their time in jail. Depending on the area they are sentenced in, and the crime in question, they may be able to utilize programs that reduce prison sentence or even replace it. Some of these programs cover multiple types of crimes, giving more options to the judge. These programs can cover anything from drug abusers, the mentally ill, the homeless, and many more. In California alone, there are countless alternative sentencing options for drug abusers. Generally these can only take part for the non-violent convictions. One such option would be California Penal Code Section 1000. Which is California 's deferred entry of judgment program. The program
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That being a California Drug Court. But unlike the other presented programs, the protocols for each drug court can be different in how they operate. The basic premise of the courts is to replace the generally court process. That being, your criminal proceedings are suspended during your time in the program. And if you complete the program, the charges may be dismissed or if the program was not completed or done to an unsatisfactory degree, then any crimes against you would be reinstated and the trial would continue. The program itself is like the others, it lasts for two years and is focused on diversion. A pro for this type of system is that it, like the others, attempts to reduce drug abuse by way of treatment programs. Another pro unique to this model is that if they fail treatment, they undergo another trial to face jail time. The biggest con would be the cost due to failure, they would go through two years of drug programs just to return to the courts for another sentencing. …show more content…
A restitution is simply a payment “made by the perpetrator of a crime to the victims of that crime.” (http://criminal.findlaw.com) Generally these payments are meant to cover any loss that the victem faces as a result of the perpetrator. It can also take place in almost any case. In generally it is meant as a way to repay any damages as a “condition of granting a defendant probation or giving him/her a shorter sentence than normal.” (http://dictionary.law.com) In order to qualify for this, it is solely in the hands of the judge to decide to give a restitution as part of your sentence, or as its own sentence. The pros of this is that it can apply to any case. There are few restrictions to when a judge can order this. It is also a way to help the victims in more ways then just having the perpetrator go to jail. The cons of this method would be that the perpetrator could be too poor to pay the victim back in a timely manner and since jail time could be completely avoided, they could go right back to
That being a California Drug Court. But unlike the other presented programs, the protocols for each drug court can be different in how they operate. The basic premise of the courts is to replace the generally court process. That being, your criminal proceedings are suspended during your time in the program. And if you complete the program, the charges may be dismissed or if the program was not completed or done to an unsatisfactory degree, then any crimes against you would be reinstated and the trial would continue. The program itself is like the others, it lasts for two years and is focused on diversion. A pro for this type of system is that it, like the others, attempts to reduce drug abuse by way of treatment programs. Another pro unique to this model is that if they fail treatment, they undergo another trial to face jail time. The biggest con would be the cost due to failure, they would go through two years of drug programs just to return to the courts for another sentencing. …show more content…
A restitution is simply a payment “made by the perpetrator of a crime to the victims of that crime.” (http://criminal.findlaw.com) Generally these payments are meant to cover any loss that the victem faces as a result of the perpetrator. It can also take place in almost any case. In generally it is meant as a way to repay any damages as a “condition of granting a defendant probation or giving him/her a shorter sentence than normal.” (http://dictionary.law.com) In order to qualify for this, it is solely in the hands of the judge to decide to give a restitution as part of your sentence, or as its own sentence. The pros of this is that it can apply to any case. There are few restrictions to when a judge can order this. It is also a way to help the victims in more ways then just having the perpetrator go to jail. The cons of this method would be that the perpetrator could be too poor to pay the victim back in a timely manner and since jail time could be completely avoided, they could go right back to