Stamford DUI Plea Deals

A DUI charge can have serious consequences for an individual, including heavy fines, jail time, and the possibility of a permanent license suspension. It might be counterintuitive to plead guilty to this charge, especially with so much at stake, but Stamford DUI plea deals are an opportunity for individuals to mitigate the severity of the penalties that they face. If you want to know more about plea deals, consult an experienced DUI lawyer that can answer your questions.

Types of Pleas

In Connecticut, there are two pleas, either guilty or not guilty. At an arraignment, everybody pleads not guilty as a matter of course and then if an individual is going to change their plea later in the proceeding, they can do that. The reason that people initially plead not guilty is that individuals have to enter a not guilty plea in order for their case to be coded and continue along on the docket.However, in order to have access to Stamford DUI plea deals, an individual must plead guilty.

What a Guilty Plea Means in a DUI Case

A guilty plea means that an individual is admitting that they were driving under the influence while operating a motor vehicle. This guilty plea will result in the person being sentenced by the court which, depending on if it is their first, second, or third time, and beyond that, the sentence gets higher and higher.

How Can a Person Continue to Argue Their Case After Pleading Guilty?

After individuals take Stamford DUI plea deals and plead guilty, the judge will defer their sentencing to another date. During this time there would be a pre-sentence investigation by certain court offices, and for them and their attorney to get together some arguments to be made.

A judge can often agree to a situation where they are not sure what sentence will be imposed and they can agree to a cap of not more than a certain period of time. An individual’s attorney can argue on their behalf why it should be for instance less than one year if the cap is one year, all the way down to not a day in jail. There will still be a misdemeanor or a felony conviction on their record, depending on which DUI this is.

Instances Where It Is Advisable to Plead Guilty

Whether someone should take a Stamford DUI plea deal and plead guilty, depends on the evidence against the individual. If the police and the prosecutor have a very strong case against them, but are offering a reasonable deal that will help them avoid the risk of going to trial and the judge sentencing them with a very high cap on how much time they can get, and if the State’s Attorney will agree to the individual’s guilty plea with an agreed-upon sentence that is reasonable, then that might be a time when they should consider pleading guilty.

Circumstances Where Someone Would Receive Probation Before Judgement

In Connecticut, the judge may order an individual to be supervised prior to the trial, similar to probation. It is referred to as Alternative In the Community or AIC. This is a situation where an individual has to report to a probation officer every week and can be drug-tested. There can be conditions on their probation prior to the trial and that can help them make a good track record with the judge.

What Does Pleading Not Guilty Mean For a DUI Case

Pleading not guilty is a pro forma thing when an individual enters a not guilty plea and elects to have a jury trial, which is the person’s right in Connecticut. Demand for a jury trial will get the case moving. No one holds pleading not guilty against an individual and they can withdraw the plea later.

Is Pleading No Contest an Option in Stamford DUI Cases

Pleading no contest is sometimes an option in DUI cases. It is a rare option, but it is an option that does exist. If an individual pleads no contest or nolo contendere in Stamford, it does not have any impact on their guilty plea, but it can have an impact on a civil case if they get sued for an accident related to the DUI where somebody was hurt.

If an individual pleads no contest, they will not be able to use the fact that they pled guilty against the person because the individual is not saying they are guilty of the DUI, they are merely not going to contest the fact that the State has enough evidence to convict them, which seems a bit of a contradiction, but will help the individual in a civil case. If an individual wants to know more about pleading no contest and Stamford DUI plea deals, they should get in contact with a skilled Connecticut DUI attorney.