Incarceration is a great possibility if you have pleaded guilty or if you have been found guilty of a crime. Such a sentence can have a long-term, negative impact on your future. Continue reading to learn how one of the experienced Garden City criminal defense attorneys at Grunwald & Seman, P.C. can fight on your behalf for alternatives to incarceration.
What are common alternatives to incarceration in New York state?
In New York state, the Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives funds and oversees numerous Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) programs. Some of these ATI programs are described below:
- Pretrial release services: this program is meant to have you avoid unnecessary detention if you are unable to post bail. Specifically, this program determines your eligibility for release and provides concerning information such as your community ties with regard to residence and employment. Such information is critical for the New York courts when determining whether you should be sentenced to incarceration.
- Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC): TASC and other drug and alcohol programs offer treatment alternatives if you are at least 16 years of age, are facing an incarceration sentence for a non-violent offense, and have indicators of problems with drugs or alcohol.
- Specialized ATI programs: these programs provide unique supervision to certain target populations, such as women, juvenile offenders, and individuals with multiple needs.
What are other alternatives to incarceration?
Asides for the previously mentioned ATI programs, you may be able to perform community service in place of incarceration. Specifically, you will only receive a court order of a specified number of community service hours if you are found to have committed a non-violent offense.
Additionally, there are defender-based advocacy (DBA) programs. These DBA programs allow you to be screened for whether you can be appropriately managed within a community corrections setting. With this, a plan will be made regarding your community-based orders and conditions of release. In other words, this plan may include recommendations for community supervision, employment, and/or treatment options all geared toward your success in the community outside of incarceration.
With all this being said, you deserve a chance at an alternative to incarceration. With the services of one of the skilled Garden City criminal defense lawyers, you will have a strong defense that you allow you to avoid imprisonment. Do not hesitate in giving us a call today.
Contact Our Long Island Firm
If you need experienced legal counsel for a criminal matter on Long Island or anywhere in New York State, please contact Grunwald & Seman, P.C. to schedule a consultation.
