Many people who have done their due diligence to research all angles of the dui process grow legitimately alarmed at the Indiana criminal statutes allowance for court ordered fines in the thousands of dollars. The prospect of having to pay fines up to ten thousand dollars for a felony or five thousand dollars for a dui misdemeanor conviction in Indiana does not sit well with most reasonable folks.
In this regard let me make the practical realities of the imposition of fines within dui cases clear; although county court judges are empowered to fine people convicted of dui in Indiana up to ten thousand dollars, as a statewide Indiana DUI lawyer I have never once had a client in over twenty years be subjected to anywhere near such an amount. Of course I can only speak for myself and the clients I have represented. However, absent significant negligence on the part of defense counsel or extremely rare circumstances warranting such a financial penalty, I would find it highly unlikely for the prospect of a full financial fine in the amount of five or ten thousand dollars to be imposed following a drunk driving prosecution.
To be sure a dui conviciton in Indiana can carry significant financial costs. Mandatory court costs and fees amount to a base level at the present time of three hundred sixty six dollars and fifty cents. Thereafter, probation fees generally around fifteen dollars per month are imposed in addition to other alcohol treatment or other requirements that may be ordered by a county court judge.
Facing the prospect of such financial penalties, many responsible clients who have done their best to budget and plan for the financial obligations that could lie ahead suffer undue stress when learning of the prospect of the additional above referenced fines allowable in Indiana.
Some clients do not want to feel like they are bothering me and embark on an independent research campaign that serves little productive purpose than to cause significant stress and anxiety. While I always encourage a client to do work to learn Indiana law if comforting to them, I would initially welcome calls made to me that can better explain the realities of financial costs versus what Indiana law allows for. After we speak should one still desire to conduct any independent research on Indiana dui laws and procedure, any knowledge gained can be put into far clearer context.
This policy to call me at all times applies to all areas of defending a client’s dui case in Indiana. My job is to help answer and respond to any and all questions one may have during the course of a dui case prosecution. A client in my care has enough to worry about than to have to feel the additional burden of independently researching laws without understanding their practical application.
Whether it be strategizing for any and all potential financial costs within your individual case to discussing how to best limit the additional hardship to reinstate one’s drivers license in Indiana, together we can always find the best solutions to make Indiana dui laws work for you or a person important to you.
