A DUI arrest may have severe repercussions. A DUI can result in costly penalties, license revocation, and prison time, depending on the case. Normally, a DUI charge would run in your criminal record. However, you might be allowed to minimize a DUI to a less severe fee or engage in a scheme to alleviate any of the effects.

Reduce DUI costs 

Many lawsuits are settled through plea negotiation. In other terms, the offender decides to confess guilty to a felony charge in return for fewer serious punishment that would otherwise occur. (Some states’ rules, though, forbid plea dealing in DUI cases.) 

Many jurisdictions have multiple classifications of drunken driving violations and varying punishments. In these states, a person convicted of driving under the influence can attempt to strike a deal with the prosecutors to plead guilty to one of the less severe drunken driving forms. After pleading on either of these less severe charges, the offender would typically wind up with smaller penalties, have to serve a shortened probation term (or zero at all), and escape further prison time. 

For certain instances, a convict may even negotiate a wet, careless plea bargain. The word “wet reckless” applies to a defendant charging with a DUI promising to plead a reckless driving offense for the prosecution dropping the DUI charge. Like every other form of bargain agreement, in pursuing a wet reckless, the defendant aims to reduce the fines they face. Unlike a DUI, a dangerous driving offense usually requires no compulsory suspension time. 

Generally, the odds of lowering a DUI charge to anything less serious depending on the offense’s severity. For instance, if the suspect has low blood alcohol content (BAC) and no past DUI convictions, the odds of dropping the penalty might be high. On the other hand, the offender had multiple past DUIs, and the latest conviction includes an injury, the prosecution is unable to consent to limit the DUI penalty. 

Diversion and DUI Court 

Some jurisdictions provide diversion or DUI court services for eligible convicted of driving under the influence. For diversion and DUI court, the offender usually needs to undergo some form of drug or alcohol rehab program, incur program costs, and probably hold an IID on their car for a certain amount of time. 

Participants of the Diversion and DUI court program that satisfy program criteria should receive substantial benefits. Depending on the state, service members can have lower penalties, fewer potential prison time, and shortened probation terms. However, for certain individuals, these services’ biggest attraction is that the court finally dismisses the DUI charge—meaning good candidates won’t have a felony penalty on their record. 

Diversion and DUI court services criteria differ by jurisdiction. However, to be exempt, a criminal usually cannot have any existing DUI convictions (at least not in the near past), and the crime cannot include significant aggravating circumstances such as a high BAC or a collision in which anyone was injured or killed.