How Do You Write Sample Letter For Someone On Probation?

In order to appear as professional and responsible as possible, any correspondence to a probation officer should be sent as a formal business letter. A formal letter shows that the offender respects the probation officer and is willing to spend a little extra time communicating with the authorities.

The letter should contain the sender’s address at the top left-hand corner. The date is placed below the sender’s address and is separated by one space. Some business letters include the recipient’s address. If included, the recipient’s address should be placed under the title. Once again, one space should separate these elements. The name and title of the recipient should be included in the address if possible.

Using someone’s proper title is a sign of respect and will show the recipient that the sender is polite and courteous. Leave a space between the recipient’s address and the salutation. The salutation is the greeting part of the business letter. You can use the same name used in the recipient’s address, but do not use first names. It is permissible to say "Dear Mrs. Johnson” but unacceptable to say "Dear Sarah”.

The body of the letter should be as direct as possible. Inform the recipient why you are writing the letter. In the case of a letter to a probation officer discuss lawfulness, employment, and family responsibilities. Give specific examples of progress. If the probation officer has offered any special help, thank them for their hard work and dedication.

You should capitalize only the first word of the closing. For example "Thank you” or "Kind regards”.  Leave four spaces between the closing and the sender’s name. This will allow enough room for the signature. Carefully edit the letter to be sure there are no errors. A letter filled with misspellings and colloquialisms will give the wrong impression.

Here are some general guidelines:
Some Guidelines:

The main goal of your letters to the judge is to impress upon the defendant’s character, his ability to be rehabilitated, and the support mechanisms that will exist for him upon his release from prison. Some things you might write about include:

* Your relationship to the defendant- how you met, how you know him, and how long you’ve known him.

* Examples of his character that you have personally experienced, his reputation in the community, and anything important about his character that you think is relevant to his release.

* How you personally will be able to help him return to a normal life upon his release from prison, whether it is through helping him to pursue his education, gain employment, or establish a home.

* Anything relevant to his rehabilitation you have heard from him personally in the past year - discussions he may have had about going back to school, what his plans are for work when he gets out of prison etc.

* Examples, from your personal knowledge, of what he has done in his life to help others, whether it is through activist work, charitable work, work for non-profit organizations, or personally helping you or someone you know with something.

* The Judge may consider whether he is likely to commit another crime. If you have specific reasons you believe that he is unlikely to commit another crime, please explain those in your letter.

Beyond these suggestions we would ask that whatever you write, to please be polite and respectful in tone and to keep the overall objective of the letters in mind. Do not write about the specifics of his charges (to rationalize them, or to justify the politics of them), and that you do not write about others who have entered into plea arrangements, those who have not been arrested, or the fugitives related to this case.

It is very easy to write a letter for someone who has been on probation. Here is one such link that will help you out in writing a letter for your daughter's  boyfriend:
www.ohio4h.org