SOC: The Better Alternative to a Deferred Sentence
Last month, I wrote about deferred sentences and I why I don’t recommend them as an option to my clients seeking to resolve misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges without getting a criminal conviction on their record. Here I will discuss the alternative I prefer: SOCs. A ‘stipulated order of continuance’ (SOC) also referred to variously […]
Why I Hate Deferred Sentences
RCW 3.66.067, Assessment of punishment–Suspension or deferral of sentence–Dismissal of charges, authorizes Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (District or Municipal courts) to “[a]fter a conviction . . . impose sentence by suspending all or a portion of the defendant’s sentence or by deferring the sentence of the defendant and may place the defendant on probation for […]