Drunk Driving: No Excuse, But There Is A Defense
by Jared Matthews
There is virtually no acceptable excuse for driving drunk. You know it is wrong. You know you should never drink and drive. This you know to be true in your head, which is why you should not have been caught. While you have no excuse for drunk driving, you do (and can) have a drunk driving defense. It starts with a good drunk driving and criminal defense lawyer, and accepting responsibility for your actions. The rest looks something like this.
Accept Responsibility--They Have Proof
If you were arrested and charged with drunk driving, they have the proof. They have you on tape from a street camera, they have witnesses, they have a failed sobriety test or a failed breathalyzer test, and/or they have a failed blood test that clearly shows you were intoxicated. There is no way around all of that, and as good as your lawyer may be, he/she cannot argue that you are totally innocent. Things will go better for you in court if you plead no contest, or better still, accept responsibility for what you did, and own up to it. Then your lawyer can at least paint you as a typically responsible person and find a way to bargain down your punishment.
A Lesser Punishment Is Better Anyway
A punishment is still a punishment, but if you really are a very responsible person, then the judge knows that he/she will not see you back in court for another drunk driving offense. That is why the punishments exist. They are supposed to deter you from repeating the same mistake. If you take responsibility, then you accept the punishment. If you accept the punishment, you should learn from it. Your lawyer can help downgrade the punishment to community service or something else less severe, and then at least the punishment will be tolerable, affordable, and short-lived.
Following the Punishment Set
Sometimes, especially with first-time drunk driving offenses, if you take responsibility, and you take your punishment, and you successfully complete half of the punishment without resistance, your lawyer may be able to return to court and argue for less time and/or less money. When the judge sees that you have faithfully completed half of the punishment, he/she may be lenient and agree to terminate the remaining time you need to serve in jail or serve in community service, etc.. You have to be one hundred percent compliant with your punishment, however.
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About Me
Sometimes it's necessary for individuals to hire a criminal attorney. If you've never had to hire an attorney before, you may not know exactly what to do. Hello, my name is Joanna, and this blog will tell you everything you need to know about hiring a criminal attorney to represent you in your legal matter. I was in this situation recently when a family member needed an attorney. I had to learn quickly what needed to be done, and in the end it all worked out great. I decided to compile a blog to help others learn what to do when they need to hire a criminal attorney. Since this can be a stressful experience, my hope is that this blog will help to ease some of the stress.