Going to jail for a West Palm Beach DUI offense is no casual affair. Most of the time, people who are arrested get taken to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office breath alcohol testing facility. After testing is completed, they will get booked in on the charge. A skilled DUI attorney who can strive to achieve a positive outcome for you.
Expectations After Being Arrested
Before being released on bail, an individual can expect to sit in jail for eight hours so that the Sheriff’s office can run a background check on them with their fingerprints and identification, making sure they are not a fugitive or a wanted person in other jurisdictions. What they are generally going to be doing is staying in a holding cell, waiting for the eight hours to go by so that they can then be released when that time is up.
Central booking is where a person is fingerprinted, photographed, and the case is entered both in the law enforcement system and in the Clerk of the Court system. That is where the person’s journey will begin if they are going to jail in West Palm Beach for a DUI.
There is not much difference between central booking and the Palm Beach County jail. Central booking is at the jail and is where the person will be initially processed. The jail, which is right next door to central booking, is where the person would be held pending their release.
Receiving Medical Attention
If someone has been arrested and they are feeling ill, they need to be seen by a doctor. That person should put in a request for medical assistance from a nurse or other medical staff. Generally, a nurse would visit the inmate in the jail or in the holding cell, or the arrested person will be taken to the infirmary for an evaluation.
The nurse would do an initial screen and ask the individual about their symptoms and check their vital signs. If anything seems to be abnormal, they would immediately take the person to a doctor to be seen because the jail does not want to cause anyone in medical distress to have further issues or complications that they might be liable for.
Expectations After Being Booked
After someone is booked, they are put into a holding cell, usually divided by sex, male or female, and by the type of crime, violent or non-violent. They are held for eight hours. The rule in Florida is that if a person is arrested for DUI, then the person must be held at least eight hours because they want to ensure they do not release somebody who is too drunk and will get into more trouble either hurting themselves or hurting somebody else. They do not want the revolving door in the jails to be open for DUI arrestees in West Palm Beach.
Amount of Time Someone Can Spend in Jail for a DUI in West Palm Beach
The minimum amount of time that a person can be held at West Palm Beach jail for a DUI is eight hours. It depends on the facts of that person’s case, whether or not they have any prior record, and whether or not there are other charges pending along with that. The maximum amount of time is hard to say, but, as a general rule, they can be held until their case has been resolved. That could be months. It could be even a year, depending upon the facts of the case.
If a person has a third or fourth offense for DUI with an accident involving death or serious injury and a Judge or a Prosecutor believes or Prosecutors make an argument that that person is a flight risk, that person can be held pending the outcome of their case. Call Leifert & Leifert for help with a defense.
