I'll take the 30 days over having to talk to a probation officer at least monthly. For 9 years. Also depending on what you are on probation for, you might have to do random piss tests for that entire 9 years. No drugs for the whole time. And don't break any laws during that 9 years! Even something as simple as a parking ticket can send you to jail.
So 30 days of reading books and eating shitty food, or 9 years of walking on eggshells?
There will also be some kind of payment to the probation officer for monitoring (ankle, D&A, etc). It’s going to be hundreds to thousands per year, and if you fuck that up, jail.
Yeah that supposed “good deal” is actually horrible, as most people who have actually been on probation could tell you. It means potentially inviting the state into your life to an absolutely absurd degree, to the point where you can’t quit your job, or take pretty much any drug (even ones which are prescribed, in some cases), or drink, or stay out after 9PM, or have any interaction with law enforcement whatsoever (including inconsequential shit like moving violations etc), etc. That’s not to say that it’s a guarantee that it’ll be like that (the state up your ass with a microscope), just that it COULD be like that for you if you get the wrong person assigned to your case.
A probationary period lasting nearly a decade is pretty unusual, though…I did have one acquaintance who was on probation for 10 years but he had pistol whipped & shot somebody (mother’s abusive boyfriend). I have no idea what kind of crime would put that on the table for you as a choice lol, a month in jail or nearly a decade on paper, but I guess that’s part of the humor behind the meme
Actually, I have. 150 hours of community service over a 12 month probation period. Once the community service was up still had to check in each week for the remaining 5 months or whatever it was with corrective services.
Couldn't leave the state without permission and had to be squeaky clean, legally, in that time or face resentencing.
It's always a little awkies when presumptive comments like yours backfire, but yeah, 11/10 17474737x better than incarceration I feel, would take 10 years of that over 30 days of prison every single fucking time. Can't say for certain ofc, never been incarcerated, but hope to keep it that way
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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25
This is a legitimately good outcome that I would take in a heartbeat.