If someone threatens you with a gun to your face they will still be arrested, I assure you. And are the new felony levels $1,000 or $2,000?  The link to the legislation in the articles says $1,000 adjusted for inflation. I'll have to research that some more as I may be wrong, but I thought it was $1,000. And thats a maximum of three years probation.... is after they serve their prison sentence. The vast majority of folks who violate probation do so within the first year, so there is little need keep most folks on probation for 5 and 10 year periods.