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Justin Bieber Has Not Violated Probation: Hooray!

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on May 14, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

After all his shenanigans, it's odd to see Justin Bieber getting a good report. The singer has just been given a good probation review, and news sources are calling the report "glowing." We would call it behaving normally, but what do we know.

Bieber is on probation after he plead no contest to misdemeanor vandalism last year. The singer was accused of throwing eggs at a neighbor's home causing thousands of dollars of damage. As part of his plea deal, he was sentenced to pay $80,900 in restitution to his neighbors, do five days of community labor, an anger management program, and two years probation, and to stay away from his neighbors for two years.

So far, his probation officer is happy to report that Bieber has completed all 12 of his court-ordered anger management classes and has logged two whole hours of community service at Volunteers of America.

Congratulations Justin Bieber.

Probation Violations

Judge Anita Dymant, who supervises Bieber's case, scheduled another update hearing for August 3. Hopefully, Bieber can continue to stay out of trouble until then. Since, he has not actually completed probation, a violation could land Bieber back into legal trouble.

How to Violate Probation

Probation is conditioned on a defendant's behavior and compliance with the conditions set by the court. Probation can be revoked, modified, or changed if a defendant violates probation. Common probation violations include:

  • Not showing up to hearings,
  • Not reporting to the probation officer,
  • Falling behind on restitution payments,
  • Leaving the state without permission,
  • Possessing, using, or dealing drugs, or
  • Getting arrested for another offense.

Consequences of Probation Violation

Judges and probation officers, generally, have wide discretion on how to deal with probation violations.

Minor violations may receive a warning. More serious violations may require a probation hearing where the prosecutor will need to prove the probation violation by a "preponderance of the evidence."

If the court finds that there is a probation violation, the judge may revoke probation and impose a jail sentence, extend probation for a longer period of time, or add new conditions.

Request to Shorten Probation

Alternatively, since Bieber is doing so well, he may be able to file a motion to request shortening or ending probation early. Again, judges have the discretion to shorten probation, and usually consider the defendant's good behavior, current compliance with probation conditions, or the defendant's sincere reformation.

So as we celebrate Justin Bieber's A+ progress report, we'll eagerly await on tenterhooks for more news on how his probation goes.

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