The fines, fees and penalties for driving under the influence are stiff enough without having enhancements added to the sentence. What circumstances can cause penalties to be even greater? How do you know when you will face sentence enhancements? Read more...More About Drunk Driving:
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I agree that there are some stiff penalties for DWI. However, in the state of Missouri a first conviction can result in a 6 month jail term and a second conviction can result in a 1 year jail sentence. I have never heard of a case in Missouri where those penalties were imposed in a routine DWI without any other further charges. So, my point is, why make the penalty something that no judge will impose? Why not make the penalty something that is meaningful and the judicial system will impose. As a substance abuse counselor working specifically with substance related traffic offenders I feel that we are not doing all that we can to address the problem. Until we stop the plea bargaining and failure to apply legislated penalties, we’re fighting a losing battle.