If you have been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) you will likely have criminal charges filed against you. Following your arrest, the law enforcement officers may have released you with a citation with a court date on it. If this occurred, it means that you were released on your own recognizance (OR). By signing the citation, you promised to appear in court on that date. If you are not given OR release, then bail has been set. This means that you must pay a set amount of money before you can be released from jail. The amount of bail depends on a number of factors, including whether you were arrested for felony DUI or misdemeanor DUI, whether you have any prior DUI convictions, whether you are currently on DUI probation, whether there was a traffic collision, how high your blood alcohol level was, and whether there were any additional criminal charges, such as drug possession or hit & run. If you are unable to pay the bail amount, then you will remain in jail at least until the first court date. Your DUI defense attorney can request the court to release you OR or to reduce bail amount. If the Judge does not grant you OR release and/or you are still unable to afford bail then you will remain in jail custody while the case is pending.
The first criminal court date in your DUI case is the arraignment. The Judge at the arraignment has discretion to grant OR release, set or lower bail, and impose conditions of release. OR or bail conditions mean that you may continue to remain out of custody (not in jail) but you have to do certain things, or refrain from doing certain things, in order to do so. Common OR conditions for DUI cases include attending Alcoholics Anonymous classes, installing a SCRAM alcohol monitoring bracelet, not driving without a valid driver's license or insurance, and/or not driving within 12 hours of consuming any alcoholic beverages (may apply if SCRAM is not ordered).
Many things can occur between the time of your DUI arrest and your DUI arraignment date, as well as in court at the DUI arraignment itself. It is best not to go to court alone and represent yourself. Contact a good DUI Lawyer to discuss your case. If you cannot afford an attorney, ask the Judge to appoint the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office to represent you. If you can afford to retain private counsel it is best to hire a DUI Lawyer that specializes in defending DUI cases. Berglund Law Office, P.C. focuses on representing individuals arrested on suspicion of DUI. CONTACT our office today for a free and confidential consultation.
