Jail and prisons are well-known for being dirty, dangerous, crowded, and altogether extremely unhealthy places to stay. Unfortunately, those convicted of a crime could face incarceration in some cases. Things don't have to be that way, though. Read on to find out what some of those alternatives are and how to make them happen using a criminal defense attorney.

Treatment

Those with substance abuse problems seldom or never get better while incarcerated and that is the idea behind these plans to address the problem. Treatment for certain low-level drug and alcohol-related crimes can lead to some defendants being ordered to outpatient or inpatient rehabilitation care and more. This form of jail alternative can include counseling and being ordered to attend twelve-step meetings as well. Others who seem to have anger management problems may be ordered to attend therapy.

Service Work

Rather than just take up space in a jail cell, offenders may work to clean up the roadside, paint, and perform other work to spruce up municipal and county facilities. Often, this type of work can be performed on weekends so that work and school responsibilities can continue in spite of an arrest.

Special Court Programs

Another way to deal with drug and alcohol type offenses is drug court where subjects are monitored and must report regularly for substance testing and more. In many cases, the completion of a program results in the charges being dropped. Also in many places there are special programs that address the needs of single mothers, young offenders, veterans, the homeless, and other populations at risk for reoffending.

Community Service

Similar to service work, this sort of sentencing focuses on non-profit work in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and more. This type of sentence serves a dual purpose. It benefits the community organization while teaching the defendant the value of helping others worse off than they may be.

Suspended Sentence

This manner of dealing with certain first-time offenders is meant to clear records once a certain period of time has passed. Court costs and other fines may be owed and the defendant must stay out of trouble for the duration.

Most of the above programs are not available to everyone equally. You must know what is possible and that is why a criminal defense lawyer is necessary. They know how to get you included in these alternatives so that your worst moment is not one you end up going to jail for.

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