Arizona DUI Lawyer & Attorney : Koplow & Patane Law Firm : Arizona DUI Defense

1.  If I am convicted of an Arizona DUI, do I have to go to jail?

The only way to avoid going to jail is to avoid a DUI conviction.  However, if you are convicted, Arizona DUI law requires a mandatory term of jail.  The amount of jail will depend on several factors.  To start, the results of a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test will generally control the amount of mandatory jail required.  Here are the mandatory minimum terms of jail based on a person's BAC: 

• BAC under .150 - 1 day
• BAC of .150 and below .200 (new laws pending) - 10 days
• BAC of .200 and above - 45 days

These jail terms apply to first time DUI convictions.  Second time DUI convictions have much longer mandatory minimums. 

2.  Will I lose my driver's license if I am convicted of a DUI in Arizona?

A person's driver's license will be suspended if the results of a chemical test are above .08.  This suspension is actually through the Motor Vehicle Division - not the courts.  Thus, the suspension often occurs prior to a court conviction. 

To illustrate, take the example of a person who is arrested for DUI and performs a breath test.  Suppose the breath test results are .100 and .101.  Because the test results are above a .08, the officer will give that person a form called an admin per se / implied consent affidavit.  The affidavit will state that the person's driver's license will be suspended in 15 days.  The term of suspension is 90 days.  However, after the first 30 days the person may be eligible for a restricted driving permit.  Thus, a conviction is not even necessary for the suspension to take effect.

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The are several types of DUI offenses in Arizona.  An extreme DUI is based on the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of the person accused of DUI.  Specifically, if the person has a BAC above a .150 they will be charged with extreme DUI under § 28-1382 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. 

Some of the penalties for being convicted of an Extreme DUI charge include:

• Incarceration (a term of jail)
• Fines
• Installation of an Ignition Interlock Device
• Driver License Suspension
• Substance Abuse Screening and any recommended treatment

The minimum jail term has been 30 days with up to 20 days suspended if the person complied with the recommended treatment resulting from the mandatory drug and alcohol screening.  Simply out, the judge could reduce your sentence to 10 days.  However, the Arizona Extreme DUI laws are changing in the near future.  The legislature has amened the extreme DUI statute removing the ability of judges to do the following:

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In 2007, Arizona’s State Legislature passed two extreme DUI bills which conflicted with one another. One bill prohibited judges from reducing the extreme DUI minimum 30 day jail sentence, while the other bill permitted judges to reduce the sentence.

To resolve this conflict, the State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1004, which takes away a judge’s discretion to suspend any portion of a jail term for a person convicted of extreme DUI.

The Arizona Republic has reported:

Lawmakers moved swiftly Thursday to make more penalties for extreme drunken driving mandatory, a change designed to bring two conflicting provisions of the law into agreement.

Judges no longer would have discretion to waive a portion of the 30-day sentence required for first-time extreme-DUI offenders as well as a portion of the 120-day sentence mandated for second offenders. Judges now can waive 10 days of the first-time sentence and 60 days of the second-time sentence if the offender has completed a court-ordered education, treatment or substance-abuse-screening program.

…The bill passed the Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee on a unanimous vote.

As stated in the example above, a first time extreme DUI conviction in Arizona previously required a minimum 30 day jail sentence, of which 20 days could be suspended, provided the defendant successfully completed an alcohol or drug screening (and any recommended treatment.)  So persons convicted of extreme DUI actually only had to serve 10 days. The sentencing language usually read Defendant is sentenced to 30 days of jail and 20 of those days will be suspended upon successful completion of a drug and alcohol screening. Under the new bill, persons must serve the full 30 days.

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As of September 19, 2007, Arizona has new penalties for a first time DUI conviction.  Under the new law, the penalties vary based on the blood alcohol level of the person.  Here are some of the changes the legislature has made for a person convicted of a first offense DUI with a blood alcohol concentration of above a .08 and below a .150.  

The potential jail remains the same as it did before the new law went into effect.  The minimum amount of incarceration is one (1) day and the maximum is six (6) months.  The way to avoid the one day of jail is to either get the case dismissed or reduced to a charge other than DUI.  Moreover, the penalties still include a mandatory alcohol and drug screening.  Based on the results of the screening the person can receive education and treatment.  The amount of education and / or treatment is discretionary. 

Some of the most onerous penalties concern the person's drivers license. There are three primary ways that a person's drivers license can be impacted.  First, as part of every DUI investigation the police will perform some type of chemical test.  The test is usually in the form of blood, breath or urine.  If the test results shows the person had a blood alcohol concentration above a .08, then the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) of the Arizona Department of Transportation will be notified.  Upon receipt of the results, MVD will suspend the person's driving privileges for a period of ninety (90) days.  However, after the first thirty days (30) days a person may be eligible for a restricted driving permit.  The permit allows a person to go to and from work or school.

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