Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

It depends on the county, the judge, and the circumstances of your case, but the best way to promote compassion and a better chance of preserving your jail alternative is to present a legitimate and compelling reason why you were unable to appear for work release or notify the court or the sheriff prior to that date with a request to reschedule. In other words, do you have a good excuse? Can you bring proof?

The next best way to increase your chances of preserving this jail alternative is to be polite and respectful, to apologize for missing the date, to acknowledge that jail alternatives are usually a privilege rather than a right, and to ask for another chance.

It is also a good idea to be sure that there are no other outstanding obligations which are late, such as fines, signing up for other classes or compliance which the court would expect to see. If you can get ahead on any other obligations before going into court (such as paying off a fine in total rather than just being up on the payments) then this is something in addition which you can point out to the court.