Sobriety Courts in Michigan
Being sent to Sobriety Court may be your best option. Our Drunk Driving Attorneys are quite aware in determining this with you!
Sobriety courts are a fairly new addition to Michigan's judicial system. The purpose of a sobriety court is to reduce drunk and/or drugged driving by promoting recovery of offenders instead of punishment. However, the programs involved can be lengthy, unsuccessful and unnecessary in the long run.
A typical sobriety court program can take up to 2 years to complete, and often involves 3 or 4 different phases. Through a coordinated response of treatment and escalating sanctions for non-compliance, it is hoped that dependency and abuse will be reduced, and the incidence of subsequent offenses will be lowered.
Objectives and goals of sobriety courts include:
1) reduction of drug and alcohol consumption;
2) reducing the incidence of repeat drinking and driving offenses;
3) reduce the number of cases being scheduled for trial, as well as the length of time between the date of offense and the date of sentencing; and
4) reduce incarceration in local jails.
Defendants charged with drinking and/or drugged driving offenses are screened by prosecutors for sobriety court eligibility based upon prior violent felony convictions, current charges, residency, and appropriate phase of the program. Most courts and prosecutors want a defendant to enter sobriety court immediately. You should carefully weigh this decision with the help of an experienced drinking/drugged driving defense attorney. Do not allow yourself to be pushed into a program that you cannot realistically commit to time-wise, that is too costly for you to participate in, or that is unnecessary for you.
Sobriety court can include doing daily PBT's (Preliminary Breath Tests) or urine screens; regular attendance at meetings with a probation officer, AA or NA meetings, sobriety court hearings, victims groups, or parenting classes; obtaining an AA or NA sponsor; completing community service; follow-up alcohol treatment; or other specialized treatment or intervention. Ninety consecutive days of sobriety must be demonstrated to move to Stage Two.
Because of the many hoops you have to jump through to successfully complete sobriety court, it is always in a defendant’s best interest to consult with an experienced drinking/drugged driving defense attorney before making the important decision about whether or not to enter into a sobriety court agreement.
The drunk driving attorneys at Kronzek & Cronkright will assist you in thoroughly examining all of your options and help you decide on the DUI defense strategy that is right for you.
For aggressive and knowledgeable representation through every step of the sobriety court process,
contact Michigan DUI lawyers
at Kronzek & Cronkright today!
