Roseland, FL Criminal Defense Law Firms & Lawyers

It depends. If these are just probation fines, then you won't be looking at jail time. If these are restitution fines, most judges will incarcerate you for that. Most likely, if you do not pay these fines off, they will turn into civil judgments.

You can't. This is a criminal matter. As such, you are the victim/witness to a crime that has been committed. Once in the hands of the police, the only person who has the authority to decline or dismiss the case is the prosecutor, or the judge. Even if you say you want to drop the charges, that you made a mistake, or it really didn't happen, the prosecutor is likely to proceed because these are excuses that are often used because the victim is afraid of the consequences of her reporting. If the incident truly did not happen and you filed a false police report, you can be charged. If you refuse to go to court, and your are subpoenaed, the prosecutor could request that the court issue a material witness warrant, whereby the police could go out and find you and bring you to court. You are in a very difficult situation. Domestic violence is a very serious, and there is too much of it in our society. Such being the case, these cases are generally very vigorously prosecuted. If you still have concerns, I suggest that you consult with an attorney.

The best advice I can give you for your son is that he should get an attorney to represent him.  If he cannot afford one, he needs to ask for one to be appointed to represent him.  He can do this when he goes to court for the first time.  In the meantime, he has a right to remain silent (i.e., he cannot be forced to answer questions or respond to any allegations).  I urge my clients to excercise their right to remain silent and not discuss the allegations or facts of the case with anyone (including family) other than their defense attorney.   Yes, he can go to jail, or even prison, for a first time felony offense.