A DUI charge is a serious offense, which can have lasting repercussions on your life. What many people are not aware of is the fact that DUI records are looked at when it comes to employment, home loans, government jobs and a career in public service.
In other words, a DUI charge is something; you do not want to have on your public records. If you are someone who wants to prevent yourself from getting into serious legal issues, or know someone who is facing a DUI charge, the contents of this article can help them.
In this article, we discuss five ways you can try to reduce your DUI charges. Bear in mind that these reductions are far easier for first-time DUI offenders than they are for repeat offenders.
However, if you are taking expert help from gwinnett county dui and dui related offenses, then you can hope to walk away with a reduced sentence or have the charge expunged.
5 Ways to Reduce Your DUI Charges: The List
- Get Admitted to an Alcohol Education Program (AEP)-
If you do not prior records of DUI and have a clean criminal history, you can ask the judge for a reduced charge. Enrolling in an AEP will help you get a reduced sentence in most of the states. However, it is important that your lawyer present this alternative in front of the judge.
The program helps in understanding what can be some of the repercussions of drunken driving. It explores the connection between being reckless behind the wheel and the kind of impact it can have on you and your family members.
- Accepting Probation from the Judge-
In many states, you can request the judge to hand over probation in place of jail time. If you do not want to spend time in prison, you need to ask your lawyer to present a case for probation. This will always be subject to some factors.
For example, it should ensure that no one was seriously injured or hurt because of your DUI. Your criminal records and history should be clean and you should come across as a law-abiding citizen of the society. It is only then will a judge consider probation in place of prison time.
- Check into a Rehabilitation Program-
One thing you need to understand is that the judge needs to see instant regret on your part to offer you a reduced sentence, probation, or even expungement. One of the most-extreme ways you can commit is by checking into a rehab program.
Unlike the AEP, rehab is serious, time-consuming and shows a definite determination and guilt on your part to improve yourself. If your legal counsel tells the judge that you have already signed up for a rehab program, the judge might appreciate your intention and offer probation.
- Ask your Lawyer to go for a Plea Bargain-
Plea bargains can be tricky and might not always be the best solution. A plea bargain entails your lawyer negotiating with the public prosecutor and coming up with a bargain regarding your sentence. This results in a reduced charge, but you will have to accept you are guilty.
Nobody wants to carry forward a case as it involves time, money, energy and effort. Public prosecutors are open to plea bargains most of the time, as they do not want to do so much just for a DUI charge. You can also plead to get the DUI offense removed from public records.
- Get your DUI record Expunged for good-
The task of a DUI lawyer does not end with getting you probation. One crucial thing he or she needs to do is get your records expunged. This is something, which can be done if you did not have to spend prison time and are a first time offender.
Judges and courts also realize the impact on a normal citizen’s life because of a DUI charge. This is why if your conduct is good and you have shown merits to be responsible, your lawyer can try to get your charges expunged.
The Final Word
A DUI charge is definitely not something you would want on your public records. In different points of your life, it can come back to haunt you. This is why you should always take such offenses seriously and hire the best legal aid to help you overcome these issues.
