Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: jail vs sheriffs work program

First, you ask the judge and D.A. BEFORE you plead if SWAP is okay to serve your time. If approved, the judge says so at time of sentencing, and you make application at the office they direct you to. As a fallback plan, the judge will set a "surrender date" for you to report to the jail if you have not gotten that SWAP approved by then. You might want to contact the Sheriff's SWAP office for your eligibility before pleading, to make sure you do not have some factor or prior that will exclude you. Good luck.