Sunday, October 08, 2006

3rd DUI Sentence: 5 Months. Who's Kidding Whom?

While the JSOnline story is about an (apparently successful) alternative/treatment program for some who are convicted of DUI, the noticeable phrase is here:

...the quickest, least painful way for him to get out from under his third drunken-driving conviction was to do the time and keep on drinking.

...When he finished serving his 150-day jail term - which would have come with work-release privileges and time off for good behavior - he'd be free to go on with life the way he was the night he got busted for running a Waukesha stop sign with a belly full of Bud Light.

THIRD DUI. 150 Days? Five months?
Evidently the alternative program offered is successful--at least to date--but I am astounded that the sentence here is so light.

4 comments:

J said...

So how bout the 4th one they go away forever then? I guess it's hard to learn your lesson...1 time, yeah it happens to a lot of people, and they generally are responsible and organize priorities. 2 times, maybe you need some real punishment. 3 times, obviously you don't care and we shouldn't care about you.

Dad29 said...

My suggestion, (assuming no mayhem or deaths ensued from the DUI):

First penalty: $2,000.00 fine, loss of license for 6 months, jail optional for 90 days depending...

Second penalty: PRISON, 10 years, no parole

Third: PRISON, 20 years, no parole.

They will never HAVE a fourth...

Anonymous said...

But it's even worse. If he does the treatment plan he serves a whopping 15 days, That's it!!

What an effective deterrent. It will de interesting to see how many of the se "successful graduates" end up picking up their 4th or more in a few years

Dad29 said...

Yes, Dennis, that's a possibility.

IIRC recidivism in alcohol runs in the 90+ percentile...