When someone is arrested for a DUI offense, they are taken to DUI jail in Mecklenburg County, but the process of being booked and charged is not as open and shut as it seems. The first place the police take someone after a DUI arrest is to the police station to test their breath or blood. Then they take them to the magistrate’s office where they seek a warrant and serve the warrant on the driver. If you have been arrested for a DUI offense, it is important to seek the services of a proactive DUI lawyer. A skilled attorney could help you get released on bond and help you build your defense. Call today and know that you are in capable hands.
Central booking is the term commonly used for the first stop when entering DUI jail. It is when the police officer is presenting the arrested person to the jail for their incarceration. The difference between central booking and jail is that with central booking a person is usually not yet confined beyond perhaps handcuffs and the arresting officer. They identify the person and inventory their personal property. Once they are brought into the jail, they will be confined in a cell or a pod with other inmates.
After someone is booked, they would be processed and brought to the place where they would be incarcerated until they are released. After being arrested but before they are released on bail, a person could expect a few hours inside the jail to allow for them to sober up from whatever they are accused of being under the influence of.
Medical resources are available in DUI Jail in Mecklenburg County. Jails are required to provide medical treatment for all of their inmates. However, most jails do not have 24/7 medical professionals of all types on call, so there might be a delay in seeking treatment, though the law does require jails to provide treatment within a reasonable timeframe.
If the arrested individual needs to be seen by a doctor, they would need to notify the deputy at the jail as soon as possible and be specific about what the individual’s medical needs are and why they need to see a doctor. The jail would contact a doctor and provide a doctor to the incarcerated person as soon as it is practicably possible.
The jail-related penalties for a DUI depend on the circumstances of each DUI. First offense DUI carries up to 12 months in jail with a possible penalty. Following a conviction, most people convicted of a first offense DUI do not serve any time in jail beyond a few hours immediately following their arrest. Subsequent DUIs carry additional jail time and DUIs with BAC of 0.15 or higher carry a mandatory minimum of jail time.
A mandatory minimum sentence is a sentence that is required by the law to be imposed by the judge. It means that regardless of what a judge thinks about the case, the judge must impose an active sentence of that mandatory minimum time. The defendant has to serve that time and it may not be suspended.
The minimum amount of time a person could be held at DUI jail in Mecklenburg County is a few hours, which is long enough for them to demonstrate their sobriety prior to being released. The maximum penalty for DUIs is as many as five years in prison. A person could serve up to two years of the time at a local jail before being transferred to prison for the remainder of that sentence.