Read this article if you are interested in:
- Finding out if alternative sentencing is available for repeat DUI offenders in San Francisco.
- Learning about the culture and ethos of Marin County’s adult drug court.
- Exploring how being a little proactive can help your DUI law case.
Is Alternative Sentencing Available For Repeat DUI Offenders In The San Francisco Bay Area?
Alternative sentencing options are available in most counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
There are various ways to think about alternative sentencing in DUI law cases. One is simply avoiding jail since a second offense comes with ten days in jail at least. This can be served in other ways in many counties, and sometimes it ends up being more than that – 30, 60 days, or more. A third offense within ten years of a prior DUI brings at least 120 days in jail.
Depending on the Bay Area county, alternative sentencing can be doing a residential program, volunteer work, a sheriff’s work program, electronic monitoring, or house arrest. It depends because every situation is different. Alternative sentencing is sometimes mixed with an alcohol detection device. There are different companies involved that have different devices you would use if necessary.
Being proactive from the start and doing self-help, whether getting into residential or outpatient therapy, doing AA meetings, enrolling in a DUI school, will show the court and the DA that you are willing to take responsibility and ensure you will not commit the same crime again. Authorities are often concerned about repeat offenders and they want to know that you will not hurt or kill someone in the future on a second or third occurrence.
Another type of alternative sentencing for a multiple offense DUI in different counties in the San Francisco Bay area is DUI court. Some counties have them, whereas others do not. These are usually for multiple offenders.
A good example is San Mateo County. They have a DUI court, although it is currently limited because of a very limited budget. Unfortunately, you essentially have to live in the county, have a pretty severe problem, qualify, and jump through a lot of different hoops to be able to get into it. However, it can be a way to stay out of jail. That is something that you could talk with your lawyer about and get as much information as possible. If it does look like your case will not go to a jury trial or the DA will not dismiss, typically, authorities will not dismiss DUI Court may be the answer. This is all the more true of second, third, and fourth DUIs.
Marin County also has an adult drug court. They have recently been accepting people with multiple DUI offenses there. This is something typically for lower-income people with multiple offenses. These tend to be staffed by people that care deeply for those they are helping. In 2022 we had a client be admitted here and it has been a huge success. People learn so many more ways to cope, get so many more tools to deal with, and support that they can go back to once finished with the program.
With the guidance of a skilled attorney for DUI Law Cases, you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that we’ll make it look easy. For more information on DUI Defense Law in San Francisco & through the Bay Area, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (415) 523-7878 today.
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