A felony charge and conviction can have life altering consequences and having an experienced criminal defense attorney familiar with all possible resolutions is imperative to success. The Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program is a unique resolution offered to certain defendants based on a number of factors and can be an excellent outcome on your pending felony charges.
The defendant must not have any other criminal history or convictions on their record. The PTI program is reserved for those first offenders who the state attorney believes deserves a ‘second chance.’ The benefit of the PTI program is that, upon successful completion, the charges are dropped and eligible to be sealed or expunged from the defendant’s record.
In Hillsborough County, on the date your case is resolved, you and your lawyer will receive documentation from the Court Clerk that provides information and directions to the Pre-Trial Intervention office. The PTI office, operated by the Department of Corrections, is located at 7825 N. Dale Mabry, Suite 200, Tampa, FL, (813) 975-6524. You must report to the PTI office within 48 hours of leaving court.
During your initial appointment with a PTI officer, you will sign a “PTI Agreement.” The Agreement is a contract that outlines all the conditions that you must complete to successfully graduate from the program. Failure to complete the conditions will result in a breach of the agreement and your case will be referred back to the court for further proceedings.
Standard conditions of PTI include:
- A monthly reporting requirement
- Abide by all laws during the program
- No association with persons engaged in criminal activity
- Required school attendance or employment (in most cases, you must notify your employer you are on PTI and the officer is permitted to visit your home or office)
- Minimum of 50 hours of community service work
- No firearms or weapons
- Payment of $40 per month for costs of supervision
- $100 towards the cost of prosecution
- $100 for the victim’s assistance fee
- Investigative costs
- Restitution to the victim
Typically, the PTI program takes 18 months to complete. However, through their relationship with the Department of Corrections, the PTI program can successfully terminate the program after 9 months assuming that all the conditions have been met and there were no violations. If PTI is successfully completed, the charges will be dismissed. To determine whether your felony charge is eligible for PTI or to retain us to fight the felony charges on your behalf and get you the best possible result, contact us today at 1-888-781-9696.