Most people hope that they will never be faced with a drunk driving arrest. One arrest and conviction is enough to significantly impact a person’s life. The legal process, while important, can be a great stress. Most are happy, to say the least, to get the situation behind them.
But what if the situation is behind them, only for a new, and then another DUI situation to come before them? Some people will unfortunately be charged with multiple DUIs in their lives. While they might feel embarrassed or as though they are in a hopeless spot, it is those with multiple drunk driving convictions who have the most to lose.
In Maryland, the consequences for drunk driving get more severe with subsequent convictions. A person who is convicted of three or more DUIs faces fines, imprisonment and driver’s license suspension. The sentence could be as much as three years in prison, $3,000 in fines and a license suspension for 120 days.
Three years of prison time is no light possibility. That is three years away from someone’s family. It is three years during which one’s career is put on hold. It is three years during which one’s freedoms are limited and dignity is tested.
Every criminal conviction leaves a mark on someone’s record and can limit their freedoms as well as life opportunities even while not incarcerated. Driving privileges, for example, are important to a person’s financial stability and their family’s security. A DUI defense attorney who has experience working with repeat offenders can help to try to mitigate the outcome of a subsequent DUI conviction.
