You are enjoying a New Year’s Eve party at your favorite club. The atmosphere is lively, and you enjoy a few drinks, along with a very good meal.
On the morning of New Year’s Day, you drive to your home in Schaumburg. And, during this drive home, a police officer forces you to pull over.
The officer asks you to take a sobriety test. You consent to doing so. And, unfortunately, you fail the test. The officer charges you with a DUI.
You have no idea what is in store. One thing is for certain, though: you are scared. Thoughts of jail time, a license suspension, and a permanent criminal record all come to mind.
Going over the jail time penalties that a New Year’s Eve DUI can lead to, while speaking with an experienced Chicago DUI attorney , will help you obtain the verdict you need.
Can A DUI Lead To Jail Time?
The answer to this question is “Yes.”A DUI can lead to up to one year of jail time. This is if two things are true: you have not been charged with a DUI in the past, and there were no aggravating factors.
If you have been charged with one DUI in Illinois in the past, you run the risk of being forced to spend five days in jail. Or, alternatively, you may need to perform 240 hours of community service.
The five days in jail for a second DUI is a minimum requirement. You may be forced to spend up to one year in jail if you have been convicted of a second DUI.
A further DUI can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years. And, if another DUI conviction occurs after this one, prison time becomes more likely.
The penalties for a DUI encompass jail time, which is always a possibility. On top of jail time, though, a DUI will lead to a mandatory license suspension for at least one year. You won’t be able to drive at all during this period.
What Should You Do?
You should work with an attorney if you have been charged with a DUI. A good attorney will look at the case against you and, in doing so, help you avoid the problems a DUI conviction creates.
A good example of the above is as follows: if you were charged with a DUI due to the results of a breathalyzer test, your attorney will contest the facts of this test.
Your attorney might argue that the breathalyzer test was administered improperly. Or, that the equipment is faulty and, therefore, incapable of producing accurate results. They may also prove that the officer acted improperly.
No matter how air-tight your DUI charge may appear, there is almost always an opening that can be navigated. A good attorney will find this opening and use it to your advantage.
Our team at Glasgow & Olsson has helped thousands of people obtain the DUI verdict they need. We are ready to help you achieve the legal outcome you seek.
Get Qualified Legal Help Today
When facing a DUI charge, the quality of your legal representation can shape the course of your life. At Glasgow & Olsson, we don’t just practice DUI defense—we help define it.
Thomas Glasgow is widely recognized as a leading authority on DUI law in Illinois. He lectures statewide for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, contributes to the definitive DUI legal manual used by attorneys across the state, and is a trusted legal voice on major networks including ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, and Fox News.
When your freedom, reputation, and future are on the line, experience, judgment, and respect matter most.
Speak with our Chicago DUI defense team today and learn how decades of trusted experience can protect what matters most to you.