PBJ

Law & Legal abbreviation · Criminal Law

PBJ
Stands forProbation before judgment
CategoriesLaw & Legal

PBJ stands for Probation before judgment, a criminal law abbreviation.

Maryland disposition in which the court defers entering a guilty finding and places the defendant on probation; if probation is completed successfully, the person is discharged without a conviction. It is common for first-time offenses.

Example: The judge struck the guilty finding and granted PBJ with 18 months of supervised probation.

Usage notes

Authorized by Maryland Criminal Procedure Article § 6-220. A PBJ is not a conviction for most purposes, though it can still be considered in later sentencing and in some licensing and immigration matters. The law limits repeat PBJs for impaired-driving offenses.

More criminal law abbreviations

  • LWOP – Life without parole
  • Misd. – Misdemeanor
  • MPC – Model Penal Code
  • NCO – No-contact order
  • NGRI – Not guilty by reason of insanity
  • NPA – Non-prosecution agreement
  • PC – Probable cause
  • PCR – Post-conviction relief
  • PO – Probation officer or parole officer
  • PR – Personal recognizance
  • PSI – Presentence investigation
  • PSR – Presentence report

See all 46 criminal law abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.