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Home Detention May Become Available For Scottsdale DUIs
Posted by Ted Agnick, The Lawyer | Posted in DUI Penalty Information | Posted on 05-04-2010
Home Detention Is Better Than Jail
Home Detention For Scottsdale DUIs
Home detention may soon become an available option in Scottsdale City Court. This means citizens charged with DUI in Scottsdale City Court would be eligible to serve some of their jail sentence in “Home Detention” instead of the County Jail. This is a huge benefit to people convicted of DUI.
The two biggest benefits for people convicted of DUI would be being able to get easier transportation from their home to work. This is because most people charged with DUI serving long jail sentences also have their driver’s license suspended while they are serving their jail sentence. So for most people, it is far easier to get a ride from their home as opposed to from the County Jail located near Durango and 32nd Avenue.
The second huge benefit is that it will save people a lot of money. People convicted of DUI must pay for their jail costs. Currently, Maricopa County jail is charging Scottsdale $192 for the first day of jail and $72 for every day thereafter. This can add up to quite a lot for people serving 30 days (the minimum sentence for a first offense extreme DUI) to six months (the minimum sentence on a second offense super extreme DUI). The cost of home detention is far less per day and varies from service providers. I have had clients pay less than $18 per day after setup fees. That’s a huge difference.
Under current law, a person must serve the first 15 days of their sentence in jail before they can serve any remaining portion of their sentence in home detention. So, home detention does not mean a person will not go to jail at all, it means they must serve at least 15 days in jail.
Current law requires all home detention programs be approved by City Councils. The Scottsdale City Council is currently scheduled to consider the home-detention and electronic-monitoring program on April 27, 2010, as part of its consent agenda. If approved, a program may be put on place this summer.
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