DUI Penalties
Once you have received your sentence from the judge, you will be required to carry out the sentence as a part of the DUI penalties that must be met for breaking DUI laws in your state. If the judge orders you to serve time in jail as a part of your DUI punishment, you will be required to report in on a scheduled day, which is typically within several days of the conclusion of the trial. If you are facing more severe penalties and punishment, if the judge thinks you are a flight risk, they may order you into custody right away where you will start serving time.
How Judges Ease the Burden of DUI Penalties
Many judges permit work release programs for those who are serving time. You may want to consult with your attorney to negotiate some type of work release as a part of your sentence. Under this type of program you are permitted to depart the jail in order to attend work. The hours will be set by the judge who feels that you are a good candidate for the program. During this time, you will be released to travel to your place of employment and be required to report back to jail at the end of your shift.
During this time, you will be randomly drug tested and as well as screened for alcohol consumption while in the program. If at any time you decide to drink alcohol while you are participating in the program, the judge may take away your working privileges and you will not be allowed to return to work until you serve out the remainder of your sentence. For this reason, it is a good idea to resist any temptation to drink any alcohol while you are on release for work because you will get tested and consequently lose the privilege. Being on this type of program can help you cope psychologically with impact of going to jail. 8 hours of freedom and normalcy will make a big difference and lessen the strain that serving time imposes on one’s family life. It is also possible that the judge may issue you a temporary driving permit to be used solely for the purposes of getting to work if he or she feels that you are not a high risk repeat offender.
While you are serving time for DUI or after you are released and are placed on probation, you will also have certain administrative obligations that must be met. These obligations include paying any applicable money fines, enrolling in DUI classes, court fees or other forms of restitution imposed on you as an integral part of your DUI penalty. You may have to do community service according to the terms of your punishment and the penalty the judge imposes on you. These are mandatory payments and therefore they must be paid by the due date of each. If you fail to satisfy these fines, the judge may issue a warrant for your arrest and you may be required to serve more time.
Even more so, before you are eligible to get your drivers license reinstated, you will be required to file for and acquire proof of SR-22 insurance. There is no way around this. While the SR-22 insurance certificate is only one prerequisite, you also have to get an ignition interlock device installed on your car. These devices must be installed by a certified technician and in according to the state’s requirements.
After you have satisfied all mandatory requirements and have met the state’s sentencing penalties for the crime, you may apply to have your DUI conviction expunged. Simply talk to a DUI defense attorney and see if they can begin the process of getting the DUI removed from your record. A DUI conviction can have negative influences on your career, ability to qualify for certain types of loans and if prevent you from getting approved for apartment community living. It is advisable to seek to get a DWI/DUI conviction expunged as quickly as possible. Getting an expunge does not mean that the arrest incident will be removed from your record. It means the felony or misdemeanor conviction will be removed so they will net affect your ability to get a job or find a decent place to live.
