Post DUI Arrest

If you or someone you love has been charged with a DUI, you may be wondering what to expect after the arrest. This can be a scary and confusing time, but knowledge is power. The following helpful information can ease the process when you know what to expect.

After police have suspected a driver’s intoxication and they have been arrested, the suspect will undergo the “booking” process. This involves processing the suspect as with any suspected criminal. During the booking process law enforcement will:• Thoroughly search the suspect for weapons and drugs

• Document the subject’s appearance
• Perform a criminal background search
• Record fingerprints
• Take photos or “mug-shots”
• Set bail, depending on the state

After a person is “booked”, the next phase is what is known as bail. Bail is simply the promise to appear in court for the exchange of money. Bail is often set based on a predetermined “bail schedule”. In other instances the judge may base the figure on the severity of the DUI offense, criminal and DUI history, ability to pay, as well as relation to family and employment. There is a great risk in losing employment if bail cannot be afforded. Spending time in jail may not go over well with employers!

It is also possible to be released from jail through the “own-recognizance” law if no bail is set. The defendant must avoid illegal activities and maintain close contact with the court. If any part of the agreement is violated the accused may face jail or fines.

Bail may be posted by anyone a friend, family member or what is known as a bail bondsman. This is when a bail agency provides you with a written contract stating that the full bail amount must be paid if the suspect fails to appear in court. Bail agencies and bondsmen charge fees for their service. Sometimes they may require collateral before posting a bond to ensure appearance in court.

DUI Job Loss

DUI Convictions Have Lasting Affects. It’s no secret. You may lose your license or your car from a DUI charge. But what about your job? That should be safe, right? Guess again. It is a distinct possibility with any DUI conviction that you could lose your job.

Think of DUI punishments like a domino effect. The judge assigns you to so much community service that you are forced to take time off of work. You’re wasting time picking off litter off the highway when you could be closing a deal at work. And as you’re taking time off of work you’re making less money. But do the courts care? They keep slapping you with fine after fine.

Can’t afford to pay your bail? How do you think your boss feels about you spending time in jail? Most employers won’t take that very well.

Now you’ve lost your license and are finding it hard enough just to make it work (that is if you’re not stuck in jail or working off community service). And that’s not where your worry ends. Now you have to find new transportation to get to work and earn your living. You might not be that popular with your friends and coworkers if they are driving you everywhere.

So after losing your first job you’re ready to apply for something new? You’d like to start off fresh. As if job-hunting isn’t difficult enough, now you have to worry about the DUI charge showing up on background checks. With the influx of computers and databases into our society, records are easily checked by more employers than ever. It is a common routine when completing the employer’s application process.

The fallout from a DUI conviction has serious collateral affects. Luckily there is a shining let at the end of this dark tunnel. A qualified DUI attorney in your state will fight for you when no one else will. He or she will come out swinging even when you have no fight left within you. Contact a professional attorney today and start living your life again.