Re: Possession of a controlled substance

You should hire a private attorney who has the time to investigate the options and present them to the judge. Other than that, good luck in speaking to his current Public Defender.

Re: Possession of a controlled substance

The programs may not be convenient, but jail -- the only other option available -- would surely be worse. Your son is being punished for a crime, and it should not be surprising that his punishment will inconvenience him.

The fact that the distance between his home and his college will make the punishment harder on him is beside the point. Everybody has unique circumstances, and the drug programs you describe are not supposed to smooth over these differences. Being jailed also affects some people (especially those with families to support) more severely than others, but that fact does not entitle them to special treatment. The same principle applies to drug treatment programs.

I don't mean to trivialize your concerns, but you need to take a look at the big picture. Your son has an opportunity to avoid jail and remain in school, which sounds like a good deal to me given the available alternatives. He needs to find a way to make it work instead of complaining about the (admittedly real) toll it will take on him and on you. Remember that you and he are in this position because he broke the law, not because the system is treating him unfairly.

Good luck.

Re: Possession of a controlled substance

You need a good lawyer to convince the judge/DA to accept a program/counseling/NAs/whatever where your son goes to school. Best way to do it, is to propose something which would be more rigorous than anything he would need to do here. A PD will probably not do it, but a creative and energetic private attorney might. It is worth a shot.

Jacek W. Lentz, Esq.

310.273.1361

www.lentzlawfirm.com