Recently, it has been noted that some in Maryland have suffered far more serious repercussions than their court sentences might suggest as appropriate. In such cases, a criminal defense lawyer would most likely be able to offer guidance to the person involved. One story mentioned a woman who was placed on probation after a first-time alcohol-related traffic violation.
The woman, 40 at the time of the incident, had been celebrating Christmas with her family in 2013. She drank some wine during the evening party and was proceeding to drive some guests back to their homes. During their travel, the woman was reportedly pulled over by police for driving too fast.
The woman is said to have pleaded guilty after having failed a Breathalyzer test, but information provided suggests that there might have been issues with the way the test was administered. Because of the fact that she had no prior traffic violations on her record, she was able to enter a probation program that would enable her to avoid conviction if she complied with the rules of the program. However, during the course of the next year and a half, it was stated that the judge imposed conditions in the woman's case that are considered extreme, given the details of of the proceedings.
The woman ultimately spent a month in jail because of the incidents that arose in the aftermath of her court-ordered probation. Some have alleged that the she is not the only one in the state of Maryland to incur unusually harsh and inappropriate conditions under probation. A director of a school of criminal justice noted that the system sometimes backfires on non-violent, low-risk defendants. Anyone facing similar circumstances retains the right to seek the help of a criminal defense attorney who has experience in such cases.
Source: The New York Times, "Probation May Sound Light, but Punishments Can Land Hard", Shaila Dewan, Aug. 2, 2015