DUI offenses can have serious consequences, regardless of whether the person who has committed the DUI offense is a minor or not. Underage DUI charges for minors are often just as severe as they are for adults. If your child has been charged with an underage DUI offense, and you want to know more about the prosecution of West Palm Beach underage DUI charges for minors, speak with an accomplished underage DUI lawyer that could answer your questions and build your case. prosecution of West Palm Beach underage DUI charges for minors
Prosecutors of Underage DUIs
Prosecutors and judges treat cases of minors who get accused of DUI relatively the same as adults because the law is the same and the standard of proof is the same and so are the rules and procedure. The difference in the prosecution of West Palm Beach underage DUI charges for minors is that there may be some sympathy because the person is so young and presumably never been in trouble before. The prosecutor may understand that as a young person, that DUI offense could affect their ability to go to law school, should the person decide to that or go to medical school or become a law enforcement officer. Often, prosecutors may work with a good defense attorney and with a good advocate and will look to find alternative dispositions or alternative results to a case so that the person’s record might not have to be stained permanently.
Severity of Offenses
The severity of a sentence compared to adult sentencing tends to be the same. There are some cases that are aggravating where there could be an enhanced type of sentence where the aggravation, whether it be the facts as far as blood alcohol level, crash or defendant’s attitude or how impaired the person was.
DUI sentences for an adult or minor who has never been in trouble before are relatively harsh for someone who has no previous criminal history. Other serious crimes, such as drugs or property, for someone under 18, might not get convicted and they might not go on probation and not have to do all the things that are mandatory for DUI.
How Judges Treat Underage DUI Offenses
During the prosecution of West Palm Beach underage DUI charges for minors, a judge may look at a young person under the age of 18 and tell the person when they appear in front of them that they are way too young to be in this type of trouble and warn them to cease this kind of behavior. Other than that, they recognize the age of the defendant and the consequences to the defendant, prosecutors and judges will otherwise treat the case as the same because it is just another case to them especially if there was an accident or someone was hurt. The judge may show some additional care to a person to try and teach them a lesson, they may show some additional concern if the facts of the case are egregious where they think that the person under the age of 18 already had a substance abuse problem and may gather more attention from a prosecutor and a judge. It really depends upon the facts and circumstances of the case.
Why Cases Are Prosecuted So Strongly
These cases are prosecuted as strongly as any other cases in West Palm Beach. A DUI case is unlike a drug or property crime and tends to post a danger to the community if not handled correctly. What the prosecutor and judge are concerned about is impaired driving becoming a pattern of behavior and that the person might eventually injure or kill someone while driving under the influence/
These cases are strongly prosecuted to carry forward or present a message that this is not tolerated in the community. The job of a prosecutor and a judge is to protect the community and therefore, they strongly prosecute these cases because that is what a judge and a prosecutor believe their role is: to represent and protect the community. The role of the experienced DUI Attorney is to protect the rights of the accused with maximum effort and effect.
Penalties for DUI Convictions
Penalties for underage DUI offenses include conviction, probation, fines and court costs, community service, different types of schools, drug testing, driver’s license suspension, vehicle immobilization, et cetera. A sentencing for DUI is relatively strict whether it is an adult or juvenile and the severity of the sentences are so severe on a standard basis but the minimum sentence is relatively severe that it is left alone whether it is an adult or a juvenile unless there are aggravating circumstances surrounding that. Your attorney’s job is to get the case dismissed, reduced and the sentence as low as possible. If your child faces charges for an underage DUI offense, speak with a lawyer that has experience handling the prosecution of West Palm Beach underage DUI charges for minors. A capable underage DUI lawyer could pursue a positive outcome for you and your child.
