Probation Modifications for Good Cause

There need not be a violation for the court to modify probation.

Occasionally I hear about a situation that goes something like this. Things are going relatively well in a probation case, but the probation needs to be modified in some way. Even when everyone is on board with the modification (or perhaps even termination), I am sometimes asked whether the parties must come up with a violation to get the case before the court. The underlying concern is that the court will not have jurisdiction to act on the case without some allegation of violation.

The General Statutes do not require there to be a violation before the court is empowered to act. Under G.S. 15A-1344(d), the court has power to modify the conditions of probation or extend the probation “at any time prior to the expiration or termination of the probation . . . after notice and hearing and for good cause shown.” Good cause can be something short of a violation. In fact, G.S. 15A-1344(d) goes on to list the court’s options “[i]f a probationer violates a condition of probation.” According to that list, the court can do more in response to a violation than it can for mere good cause—it can, for example, impose special probation and, in response to certain violations, revoke probation—but that does not mean a violation is required before the court may extend or modify.

Form AOC-CR-609, the Order on Violation of Probation or on Motion to Modify, expressly accounts for the possibility that the matter may be before the court for modification without allegation of violation. That is option two in the block at the top of the form:

Most of the time it seems that good cause modifications are done by consent, and thus without the need for notice and hearing. If the modification order is prepared properly, with the block at the very end of the form indicating that the probationer received the form before its entry and agreed to the modification in question, that is probably all that is required to enter a modification for good cause.

I say “probably” because there is some argument under the line of reasoning discussed here that there is no statutory provision expressly allowing a defendant to waive his or her right to a hearing on a modification, and that modifications may therefore be done only at a courtroom hearing after giving prior written notice to the probationer. Community Corrections thought enough of that argument to end the practice of seeking extensions outside of open court. The department has not extended that policy to other modifications.

In any event, a probationer’s consent is not required before the court may modify probation for good cause. Without consent, though, there surely must be notice and a hearing before the court may act. It’s not exactly clear what that notice must entail, and there is no boilerplate form for providing it. A probation officer could presumably use something similar to the DCC-170, the form used to give notice of a hearing on an extension for good cause.

As for the hearing, it’s not clear what that looks like either. It’s not a violation hearing under G.S. 15A-1345, because there is no violation alleged. I think it’s mostly an opportunity for the probationer to learn about whatever new conditions the court imposes, although the statute does expressly say that the hearing “may be held in the absence of a defendant who fails to appear for the hearing after a reasonable effort to notify the defendant.” G.S. 15A-1344(d). As for what constitutes “good cause,” what little case law we have suggests that a trial judge “is given considerable discretion in determining whether good cause exists for modifying the terms of probation.” State v. Coltrane, 58 N.C. App. 201 (1982), rev’d on other grounds, 307 N.C. 511 (1983).

I can think of at least two reasons why it is important to know that a judge has jurisdiction to act on a probation case without allegation of violation. First, any violation ginned up solely to get the case before the court could, if found by the court, still serve as an aggravating factor in a future felony sentencing under G.S. 15A-1340.16(d)(12a). Second, there’s always the possibility that the judge might not respond to a violation alleged just to get the case before the court in the way the parties had in mind.

Finally, I’ll note that there is one situation where the State must file a violation report to give the court jurisdiction to act, and that is when probation is about to expire. The grant of authority in G.S. 15A-1344(f) for the court to act after expiration (which includes the authority to modify) applies only when a violation report has been filed before expiration. There is no analogous provision for good cause modification after expiration based on a notice tendered before the case expired. So if you want to modify probation for mere good cause, get it done before the case ends.

3 thoughts on “Probation Modifications for Good Cause”

  1. My 23 year old son went to his PO and told her he needed help and requested treatment to DART Cherry in Goldsboro, NC.
    PO officer called me and talked to me about this and told me ” The only way she can get him into treatment is, a judge sign off on it and the state pay for treatment she HAD to violate him on something to take him before the judge. She told me she could violate him on not having his community service completed 100% which his deadline is in 4 days . She told me to have him at the jail on Friday. I took him to the county jail that Friday, he was booked. He waited in jail for 3 weeks for his court date. During the trail she stated “He admitted to drug use, however no drug test was given” The judge signed off for his treatment at DART Cherry for 90 days. He stayed in jail another 2 weeks before the “DART Cherry van” picked him up from the jail to be taken for treatment. So it took 5 weeks for him to began drug treatment.
    He was at Dart Cherry for 28 days and they drug tested him because he was being a ” clown” as they stated. Laughing and cutting up. He passed the drug test fine. On April 1st I went to visit him and he was not himself. He spoke negative for the first time. I became worried. On Monday he called me and told me they tried to drug test him again and he refused. He stated he wasn’t gonna live with someone throwing a drug test in his face because hes happy. So DART Cherry kicked him out of the program and his PO picked him up and took him back to jail. He will be seen by the judge on April 24th. PO is telling me he doesn’t get credit for the 45 days at DART Cherry because he didn’t complete the 90 program. I’m reading and understanding that to not be true??

    Any replies would be helpful

    TYIA

    Reply
  2. Client has completed almost all the terms of his supervised probation. He did 2 of 15 weekends in jail and then covid closed the weekend jail program. His fines are paid and all other requirements have been met. He was supposed to be done with probation entirely at this point except he couldnt finish the jail requirement… His PO had him sign that his supervised probation was extended. I feel that because there is no known end of this probation, that his rights are being violated. I want to terminate, or at least modify to unsupervised… any thoughts?

    Reply

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