By law, any person convicted of a DUI in Washington must be placed on probation for a period of five years. When a person is placed on probation, it means that the court has suspended all or a portion of the sentence in exchange for the defendant’s compliance with certain conditions. Generally speaking, a person placed on a DUI probation will be required to comply with the following:
- Complete an Alcohol Evaluation and any recommended follow-up treatment
- Complete a DUI Victim’s Panel
- Commit no criminal law violations
- Commit no alcohol related violations
- Don’t drive without a license or insurance
- Do not refuse a breath test
- Have no breath test over a .08
- Pay all fines ordered
- Serve all ordered jail time
What can make a difference is whether a person is placed on active or in-active probation. Active probation means that there is an actual probation officer assigned to your case to whom you must report. It can be a very time consuming, expensive and adversarial process. In-active probation means that the court will simply monitor your compliance with its terms. There is no probation office to report to and it is much less expensive. To avoid active probation make sure that you have complied with all potential conditions of the court in advance. Contact a Washington DUI attorney to make sure you are on the right track if you feel as though this is a concern. Call us at any time.