In California there are different mandatory classes for anybody convicted of a DUI. If someone is convicted of a first-time DUI, the minimum alcohol class or driving education alcohol drug class is a three-month class. The class meets once a week for about two or three hours, and that’s over a three month period of time. The cost of that may start around $500. The court also has discretion on first-time DUIs to order a six-month class, which is typically done if there is a higher blood alcohol level. If it’s a 0.20 or above, there’s a mandatory nine-month class.
On a first-time DUI you’re typically looking at a three-, a six-, or a nine-month class, with the cost going up $500, $1,000, and $1,500 depending on how long the class is. If somebody is convicted of a second time offense, the class goes up to an 18-month class. In this situation, the person goes to class once a week for the first year and then once a month for the last six months. There are also 12-step meetings that can be required by the class itself.
Some Programs for DUI Convicts Require Donations
There’s an organization called Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). They run a program (it’s basically a seminar) one evening a month in Los Angeles that is called the Victim Impact Panel. The Victim Impact Panel typically involves some speakers that talk about what happens when someone drinks and drives. A lot of times they will put people on who have been the victims who may have been injured by drunk drivers. These panels or discussions usually last a couple of hours. The idea behind it is to make an impact on people who have been involved with a DUI by showing them how this adversely affected individuals and families. This is one form of punishment that a prosecutor can require as part of a deal, or a judge can order it as part of probation.
This Victim Impact Panel often charges a fee, maybe $25. They don’t call it a fine or a fee; they call it a donation or a voluntary contribution. They may not give you your proof of attendance at the program unless you pay. In essence, it is an additional penalty, and there is a cost to it. Everything adds up. Although it may not seem like a lot, when you add $25 on top of everything else you must pay, the number becomes quite staggering – sometimes over $16,000.
Program Demand May Result in More Problems for You
The Victim Impact Panel program may only run for two or three hours, but because a lot of courts order people to go to this program, it gets overcrowded and people get turned away. The Victim Impact Panel program can only take so many people at a time. Although it’s a two- or three-hour program, you’re required to get there two or three hours early just to get in line. If you’re not there early you may get turned away. If you get turned away then you may have violated probation by not completing a term in a specified period of time. Every little thing counts, every little thing is important, and the more stipulations on any plea bargain or terms of probation can create the problems.
MADD typically runs the Victim Impact Panel once a month. Sometimes they take off for holidays, so instead of 12 times a year, it may be offered ten times a year. You’re trying to squeeze literally hundreds and hundreds of people through this program. It can create a problem. A lot of times when I’m working on a case, I will look for an alternative to the Victim Impact Panel. One of the goals is not only to minimize the cost of a DUI, but also to minimize the inconvenience of a DUI. I try to avoid any unnecessary mandatory or voluntary contributions and attendance at MADD programs.
Personal Attention
