If you are a first-time offender, you will receive relatively less punishment.
Have you ever been caught by police for a DUI offense? This is not a normal charge, especially when someone else’s life is in danger and you need to get out of it. However, without a lawyer, the entire case will get complicated.
Driving under the influence is a severe act and you can face harsh punishment depending on the mode of the accident and the damage it caused. If the accident is very severe, then you will get a harsh punishment. This is why getting a DUI lawyer at the start is better. Moreover, some cases get complicated due to their severity and have chances to face strong punishment. An experienced lawyer can help you to deal with the situation. There are many lawyers, but you must hire the best for your case. A person with experience handling such cases can deal with all the legal things.
What is a DUI offense?
Driving under the influence is a crime in every state. Running a vehicle in the automotive mode under the effects of alcohol or drugs might drag you into a dangerous situation. Moreover, the charges filed in this case will be dependent on how severe your driving was and how many lives you put into danger.
Moreover, there are so many types of punishments for these charges. After conviction in the case, you will get punishment for the severity of the charges.
If you are a first-time offender, you will receive relatively less punishment, like 6 months in jail, a $1000 fine, or suspension of your driving license for some time. Moreover, if you are charged a second time in a DUI case within 10 years of the first case, you might get a 1-year jail term and a $2000 fine.
What to expect during a DUI offense trial?
Most of the people who have been charged with the DUI offense are first-timers. Hence they don’t have any idea about the trial process in court. We have mentioned all the steps below that you must be aware of. Yet, a timely hiring of a Glenwood Springs DUI lawyer will help you to get out of this situation. Let’s read.
- Arraignments
The first appearance of the court is all about arraignments. However, advice of rights, bail conditions, discovering, and entertaining pleas are some things that are streamlined in this phase.
- Hearing of plea
In this phase, the court goes through the arrangements. However, in this phase, the defendant don’t have to appear in court.
- Preliminary hearing
In this phase, the court goes through all the evidence and decides whether the evidence is enough to establish the suspicion of crime or not.
- Pre-trial hearing
Pre-trial is before the original trial; moreover, it is only for proving the defendants are right. However, the court is free to make a final decision.
What are the DUI offense punishments?
DUI offense is also a criminal offense. Moreover, depending on the severity of the crime, it has the provision of punishment. Punishment for this offense is mentioned as follows.
- Probation
In probation, punishment judges offer you to live in the conditions offered by the court. If you fail to do so, you will be punished with other punishments. However, it is an alternative way of punishment to skip jail time.
- Jail time
Row of jail cells; image by Emiliano Bar, via Unsplash.com.
This is the common punishment offered by the court for the DUI offense. Moreover, the jail time can be 1 day to 1 year.
- Fine
In some cases, in addition to jail, they also have to pay a fine. However, the fine will depend on the severity of the damage.
- Suspension of license
Suspension of the license is also the punishment in DUI cases. Moreover, the period of license suspension depends on the case’s severity and charges on the person. It can last from 2 to 3 months to 2 to 3 years.
Over to you
Indeed all DUI cases are not severe, but some cases get much more complicated. Moreover, even small negligence can create a big hurdle in the case. This is why it is better to hire a DUI lawyer in the initial phase itself who can handle everything and help you get away with lesser punishment.
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