Yep, thanks for the additional info. I have someone in on a probation violation in my own state right now who has been held since December 24th. The probation department's pre-sentencing investigation is finally done and now he's just waiting to see the judge, who will decide whether to make him serve his original sentence or not, now. At least all these months count as time served.
My relative's violation was because he wasn't supposed to be drinking but he had a beer at his best friend's funeral and someone there called his PO and reported it. He's been in 23hour lockup ever since, just waiting. He was THIS CLOSE to having his life back but he violated and he has to be held accountable for that now. He's a good boy who was just trying to process a loss. Now he could end up doing years and years instead of being just months from having it all behind him - that's the thing with violating. They throw all of your original time back at you. If you violate probation but haven't been caught yet, you sometimes have A LOT to lose. Sometimes everything. The "three strikes, you're out" law about having a third felony within ten years and going away for life, no matter what that felony is, scares good people into hiding mistakes for sure. I have a different relative who had two DWIs within 10 years and he got a third and if his lawyer hadn't pleaded it down to misdemeanor charges he'd have been put away for 15, minimum, because of that "Three strikes" law.
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/three-strikes-sentencing-laws.html
https://banksbrower.com/2014/08/17/the-habitual-offender-status-in-indiana/ (I believe RL is labeled a habitual offender in his court paperwork, is he not? I could be wrong.. this is a good place to start researching that -
https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase...EVTJNVEl5TnpFNE1UTXdPakUxTWprd05EVXhORGs9In19 )
The threat of that kind of time definitely makes people do crazy stuff IMO and IME. (NOTE that the three strikes law would NOT apply to someone who "just" had DUIs - those are not violent felonies, this is all just IMO..and I suppose I've now gone off on a tangent. I'm going to take some time away so my thoughts stop being so "stream of consciousness"-like, sorry everyone.)
sorry for OT, I try not to bring up relations but I find it helps to include those facts in order to explain my source for the information I'm posting, when relevent.