What is probation?

Probation is an alternative to jail. Probation is technically a jail sentence that has been suspended and you are on “community supervision”. If you violate the terms of the probation the judge has the option to sentence you to jail. However the jail sentence is capped by the probation terms. For example, a typical plea bargain would be 180 days in jail, probated for 2 years. This means the probation length is 2 years. If you violate a condition the judge can send you to county jail for up to 180 days (which would actually be 90 days because you get 2 days credit for each single day).