Opinion ID: 1179416
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Heading: Revocation Proceedings Instituted Within A Reasonable Time

Text: Some states hold that jurisdiction can be exercised over a probationer for a reasonable time after expiration of the probation term. For example, the Nebraska Supreme Court has held that because the Nebraska probation statute did not contain language giving the court power to revoke, modify, or extend probation during the probationary term, the trial court could exercise jurisdiction over the probationer within a reasonable time after expiration of the term, so that probation violations occurring on the last day of probation could properly result in probation revocation after the probationary term. Phoenix v. Nebraska, 162 Neb. 669, 77 N.W.2d 237 (1956). Pennsylvania has upheld as reasonable a revocation made thirteen days after expiration of both the defendant's original probation term and the maximum statutory probation term. Pennsylvania v. Ferguson, 201 Pa.Super. 649, 193 A.2d 657 (1963). The court reasoned that to hold otherwise would reward the probationer who successfully concealed his violations until after the probation term expired. The Alaska probation statute provides for a maximum probation term of five years. In Galaktionoff v. Alaska, 733 P.2d 628 (Alaska App.1987), the court held that a defendant's probation could be revoked if (1) the offense was committed during the probation period, and (2) the authorities neither became aware of the offense nor filed a revocation petition until eight days after probation term had expired, as long as (3) the petition was filed within the five-year maximum statutory probation period. Both Pennsylvania and Alaska have statutes limiting the maximum probation term to five years. [3] Colorado no longer has such a statute. In contrast, Rhode Island has expressly rejected this reasonable time approach. We ... [reject] the state's contention that it has an absolute right to violate [sic] a defendant on probation within a reasonable time after probation has ended. Were this true, a period of probation, insofar as it connotes the time during which a defendant is at risk for a given charge, would be virtually meaningless. A probation placement of one year means exactly that and cannot be read expansively to mean one year plus a reasonable time period thereafter. Rhode Island v. Santos, 498 A.2d 1024, 1026 (R.I.1985) (emphasis added).