Moving while on probation?

[gerry]

I live in a small town in Missouri, I have been on probation for about one year for stealing a motor vehicle when i was sentenced i received five years probation with an SIS witch means when i get off the conviction will be erased from my history.... anyways my question is i hate the town i live in and i want to move to Miami Florida to be closer to my first cousin who is having a baby in January also i want to attend college down there. I have over 10000 saved up for the move and a place to live also i can transfer to a different location with my current job. so i have everything all set up.... except my probation officer said NO... about five months ago he put me on minimum supervision. i call in every month on time i also have paid all of my fees and done all of my community service. i have never had a violation ever. So i guess my question is would it be worth it to get a lawyer to put the paper work in court, even though my probation officer said no?

Thanks

[Chuckles]

Probation officers are 100% backed up by the courts. There is some oversight if he decides to revoke your probation (a revocation hearing), but aside from that he can make any rules up that he sees fit and he is not legally required to grant any requests.

If you were on parole you might have the option of returning to prison for a few months and then filing an interstate compact from prison, which would almost certainly be allowed if the destination state approved it, but as a probationer you really have no good options.

If I were you I would give up on forcing your probation officer to grant your request and focus on persuading him. Perhaps you could phrase it as, "What do I have to do to earn the privilege to move closer to my family in Florida?" His main reason for not granting your request is surely his reluctance to deal with the paperwork involved in an interstate compact.

Another option you might consider is moving to another county in Missouri in hopes that your new probation officer would be more obliging. The paperwork required for an in-state move isn't as complicated or unfamiliar to the officer as out of state transfers. Even if your new PO also refused to grant your request to move to Florida, you might be happier in a larger (or just different) town.

[honestabe]

It's a bummer, but you need to get the go ahead from your officer before you pull the trigger or you are going to be in a lot of trouble.