DUI Sentencing

Although DUI sentencing is pretty straight forward for most traditional cases of driving under the influence, a variety of issues or additional charges could complicate your case. Since each case is unique and each person’s history or situation is individual to his or her own experiences, it’s important to speak with a skilled criminal defense attorney as soon as possible after your arrest. Whether you have prior convictions, were involved in an accident or have also been charged with speeding or reckless driving, it’s essential to speak with an attorney after your arrest.

Prior Convictions

Prior convictions, especially of driving under the influence, can have an impact on the type of sentencing you’re facing if convicted of a DUI. For a second DUI offense, you could be looking at up to one year in jail and fines of up to $1,500. For your third or fourth DUI offense, you’re looking at felony charges, which means you could spend more than a year in a prison facility if convicted. If convicted, prior convictions also have an impact on the amount of time your license can be suspended or revoked.

Higher BAC 

Cases involving higher than usual blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels are also taken more seriously. If you were found to have more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in your system, you could definitely be facing harsher sentences if convicted.

Test Refusal 

In the State of Mississippi, we have something called Implied Consent, which means that if you refuse a BAC test, you will automatically be subject to a fine and a driver’s license suspension. The first time you refuse a BAC test, you’re looking at a 90-day license suspension. The second time, you could be looking at a one-year suspension (if you’ve already had a DUI), or another 90-day suspension.

Speeding and/or Reckless Driving 

Depending upon what happened prior to getting pulled over and your arrest, you could be facing a variety of different moving violations. In some cases, we see people pulled over for speeding or reckless driving who are then charged with DUI. It’s possible to have multiple moving violations or other charges associated with your DUI arrest, and depending on the severity of your case or whether or not anybody was injured, they could have a huge impact on the sentencing portion of your case.