It isn't that there aren't a lot of gotchas involved in deferred adjudication and probation. It's the idea that DAs/Prosecutors are standing there, twirling their mustaches like some sort of courtroom BBEG, as they try to maliciously twist the system to give people as much time as possible.
You do understand that with deferred adjudication and probation, they're opening the door to you either being able to walk away with no conviction, or a conviction but with zero jail time, right?
Of course there's issues with DefAdj/Probation, especially in certain states. But if you really believe what you're saying here, then in order for it to be an issue AT ALL, you also have to then believe that recidivism is a fucking given and that people can't fucking help themselves.
Almost every sob story I've heard about probation has people either not taking probation seriously, blowing it off, refusing to change their behaviors and getting busted for something else, or essentially being incapable of NOT violating probation. But you want to blame the DA/Prosecutor for some malign intent?
