Being convicted of a DUI can have life-changing consequences. For many, it can mean losing your job, family and driving license. It can even mean you lose your liberty through a lengthy jail term.
For lots of people, the reasons for drinking or using drugs and then getting behind the wheel go so much deeper than just having a few too many at the bar. It may represent a bigger problem for which you, or your loved one, needs some help.
A second DUI offense comes with mandatory jail time of one year. If you, or maybe even your partner or child, are facing a second DUI charge the court may be willing to mandate time spent in a treatment center as an alternative to jail time.
What will happen at the treatment center?
Firstly, time spent at a treatment center is going to be most beneficial to those with a drug or alcohol dependency. It’s best to see it as an opportunity to tackle the root cause of the addiction to try and prevent further DUIs in the future and to help learn more effective coping mechanisms in the future.
Given that an offense has been committed, there will be judicial supervision and a failure to complete the period of treatment can result in a jail sentence being imposed instead.
The length of the treatment will vary depending on what it is deemed that person needs, but it is likely that the court will order 24/7 inpatient care for the period.
The type of treatment will also vary but usually consists of one, or all of the following:
- Attending therapy (both individual and group)
- Submitting for random drug and alcohol testing
- Attending AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings weekly
If you or a loved one has recently been charged with a second DUI offense, it’s important to move quickly and get some legal assistance to help you defend the case against you.