Stamford Underage DUI Lawyer
The law in Stamford concerning underage DUIs are if the person is under the age of 21 and registers above a 0.02 blood alcohol limit, then they will be charged with a DUI. Since a person is under 21, the limit is much lower.
If you are under 21, have been charged with a DUI, and are facing criminal penalties, it is imperative to consult with a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible. An experienced underage DUI lawyer in Stamford can build a defense to help minimize or dismiss any potential consequences associated with the crime.
Determining Impairment
Age does not necessarily factor in the signs of impairment, so the police will perform the same field sobriety tests as they would for any individual. This includes the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the walk and turn test, and the one-legged stand test.
They will also ask the person to submit to a breathalyzer test just like they would with an adult. If those tests come back with results that a person was drunk, then they will be arrested.
The limit for someone over 21 is 0.08, but if a person is under 21, it is 0.02, which is as close to zero tolerance as one can get. Any individual who has been charged with a DUI should consult with an experienced Stamford underage DUI lawyer immediately to begin weighing their legal options.
Severity of the Charge
An individual who has been charged with an underage DUI can expect that the DUI is going to be taken very seriously.
This is because judges and prosecutors see someone who is young, who should not have alcohol to begin with, who is not only drinking alcohol, but then operating a motor vehicle. They may see someone who could be on a path that could be destructive for their life, and they want to make sure that the message is sent that this is not acceptable.
Underage DUI charges can be a bit more difficult to handle because the Stamford underage DUI lawyer needs to show the judge and the prosecutor that the person is addressing any issues that have led to this, be it substance abuse problems, any emotional problems, or mental health problems.
The underage DUI attorney in Stamford needs to take extra effort to show the court that those issues are being addressed because a young person, presumably, has a long life ahead of them and the courts want to know that their life is going to be free from DUIs.
Prosecuting the Case
The prosecution treats underage DUI charges incredibly seriously because they want to make sure that someone who is underage gets on the right track.
They do not want to see someone in the criminal justice system for the rest of their life. They want the person to get help and to be able to move on with their life and not do it again.
The sentences that result from underage DUIs and of-age DUIs are usually very similar. There are mandatory minimums that must be imposed, so they are subject to the same mandatory minimums. For a first-time offense, it is a mandatory minimum of two days in jail.
An underage DUI case would be heard in the Stamford Courthouse on Hoyt Street. All DUIs are held there.
Benefit of an Attorney
The most important reason to work with an experienced Stamford underage DUI lawyer is because of the client’s future. The accused individual is often a young kid who thinks they will be in college, and has their whole work career and life ahead of them.
It is important to enlist the help of an experienced Stamford underage DUI attorney to ensure that the individual’s record stays clean, and they can move forward with their life without this incident following them everywhere and ruining employment opportunities.