A sentence for DUI in Lynwood Hills carries severe consequences. Not only do these people face incarceration, but the California statutes require that they enroll in a DUI school or education program. The San Diego DUI Attorney understands that the law has implemented these programs to reduce cases of DUI repeat offenders. In this article, we have highlighted DUI classes, the length of the program, costs, and other technicalities.

Understanding California DUI School

DUI school is a program of alcohol education and prevention usually ordered by the court upon conviction for a drunk or drugged driving charge. The DMV can also request you to enroll in the program. Not all DUI schools have been licensed to offer these programs, but the few that have been licensed offer face to face programs. You should, however, note that during the COVID-19 crisis, these classes are being offered online. Before enrolling with a specific service provider, make sure you speak to your Lynwood Hills DUI Attorney so that they can contact the DMV or court to find out the programs that have been licensed to offer the training.

DUI Programs for Various Drunk Driving Offenses

When facing DUI charges, whether you are sentenced, plead guilty, or no contest, you must enroll in a DUI school. Below we have discussed various DUI programs you will attend for different drunk driving offenses:

  1. 12 Hours of DUI Classes for Wet Reckless Deals

You can’t be detained for DUI and face wet reckless charges because it is a result of reduced charges during a plea deal. The prosecuting attorney offers you this reduced sentence so that you may plead guilty to driving irresponsibly with any amount of alcoholic beverage in your blood.

A wet reckless conviction carries lesser penalties. Part of the punishment is to enroll in an SB 1176 program. The program goes on for six weeks, where you are required to attend the classes for two hours every week. By the end of the six weeks, you will have covered the twelve hours that are necessary to complete the program.

  1. AB541 Program

When you are arrested and charged with DUI for the first time within a ten year window, and your BAC is less than .20 percent, you must enroll in an AB541 class. The class is intended to help drivers learn about the dangers and effects of drunk or drugged driving. The courses are aimed at assisting drivers from becoming repeat offenders and helping them see the benefits of being sober while on the road.

Before registration with the program, you will meet with the service providers offering the program. During admission, you will submit papers from the court or the DMV, indicating that you must enroll in the classes. Besides, you will receive a schedule of what is required of you to complete the program. At the time of registering with the program, you will discuss the costs of the program and payment options. You can pay the full amount as you enroll or fund weekly.

The program involves enrollment and intake classes. After, you will be required to attend education classes that take twelve hours. The program also consists of group counseling that takes 18 hours. The last session of the program involves individual counseling lessons that are three hours long.

Take note that if twenty-one days elapse from your last day in court without reporting to the AB541 classes, you must return to court to seek an extension.

The program lasts for three months, but the actual classes take 30 hours to complete. It means that if you have been charged with a drunk or drugged driving charge, you will attend this class twice a week for about 15 weeks. Keep in mind that the number of months you will be required to participate in the program depends on the nature of the sentence.

Once you complete the program, you are issued with a certificate of completion, which you take to court or the Department of Motor Vehicles as evidence of completion.

  1. AB 803 Program

When a minor or an individual 21 years or younger operates a vehicle under the influence, he or she will be required by the DMV or court to enroll in a 12-hour underage drinking program. Under the program, you will attend classes for six weeks, with each week having a two-hour class. You may be sentenced to this program if you are under the age of 21 but above 18 years and if it is your first DUI offense.

  1. AB 1353 Program

The judge will impose a nine-months drunk or drugged driving program if:

  • You are a first DUI offender with a BAC of .20% or more
  • You decline to submit to chemical testing after DUI arrest
  • You take a guilty plead to a second wet reckless or DUI sentence within the last ten years

The court will impose a nine-month AB 1353 program.

Typically, the program involves sixty hours of training or instructions. Under these sixty hours, you will attend six 2-hour schooling modules. The lessons combine lectures and films. Also, you will take part in one group session per week, with each lesson lasting for two hours for 22 weeks. The judge will also order you to attend sixteen 15 minutes of individual interviews and have you attending 36 AA meetings.

  1. The Eighteen Months of 2nd Drunk Driving Offender Classes

A second drunk or drugged driving sentence within the previous 120 months of a wet reckless or DUI conviction, the judge will impose eighteen to thirty months drunk driving education classes. The other name for the eighteen-month alcohol or drugs education school is also called the SB38 program. The program is all about lectures, films about drunk or drugged driving laws, and alcohol and drug abuse. Besides, you will find counseling classes in the program, too, where drivers or the people undertaking the classes are required to identify alcohol or drug problems. Once they do this, the instructor will also help the drivers come up with suggestions on how to handle the alcohol or drug problem.

Before completion of the program, a repeat offender will have to undergo communal reentry monitoring, which enables the drivers to shift to their normal life. Community reentry monitoring involves AA meetings during which service providers help participants in charge of the program to find employment opportunities.

Keep in mind that a judge may consider the SB38 program for a third or subsequent DUI offender instead of the thirty months program. To be eligible for the SB38 program as a 3rd or subsequent offender, you must not have enrolled and completed the program before.

The eighteen-month program entails the following:

  • Fifty-two hours of counseling
  • Twelve hours of drug and alcohol counseling
  • Six hours of monitoring to prepare you for reentry to the community

Additionally, interviews will be conducted bi-weekly for the first twelve months after admission to the program.

  1. 30 Month Period DUI Program for 3rd and Subsequent DUI Offenders

Also known as SB 1365 course, the thirty-month program is imposed on drivers who recorded high blood alcohol levels for a second DUI or those that have been convicted of a 3rd or subsequent drunk driving offense. A judge can impose the DUI program on you based on your home county.

If you are a multiple DUI offender in any of the above counties and get a subsequent drunk or drugged conviction, you will be subject to SB 1365 classes. The program entails or consists of the following:

  • Group counseling for seventy-eight hours
  • Twelve hours of alcohol training
  • Community labor for one hundred and twenty to three hundred hours
  • Frequent personal interviews

Keep in mind that although the hours for a DUI school are long, you can still avoid enrolling in the program. But to accomplish that, you need an experienced Lynwood Hills DUI Attorney to negotiate with the prosecution and arrive at a settlement before the case goes to trial. If the case gets to trial and you take a no contest, plead guilty, or are sentenced, you will be forced to register with the school.

Costs of DUI School

The fees and longevity of a DUI program depend on the type of drunk driving offense. It is for this reason that whenever you are arrested for drunk driving, you should get a Lynwood Hills DUI Attorney. He or she will negotiate with the prosecution to ensure even if a DUI school is imposed on your sentence, you get the program that is the cheapest and shortest. Below is a summary of DUI school costs:

  • The average cost for a 12-hour SB 1176 is 300 to 400 dollars
  • The cost of a three-month DUI class (AB 541) is 850 dollars
  • A nine-month AB 1353 costs an average of 1,851 dollars
  • The eighteen-month DUI class (SB 38) will cost you between 1,900 to 2,600 dollars
  • A thirty-month SB 1365 DUI program will cost an average of $3,000

During enrollment, if you don’t pay the total costs, you must make a deposit of at least $350 and the rest of the amount you will pay weekly.

Keep in mind that the above costs can cause huge troubles, especially if you can’t raise the money. The good news is that the rates can be waived through a court order. But for that to happen, your financial documents must be reviewed carefully by the service providers in the program before the reduction of the rates of the program.

The reduced fees in the waiver are built or created on a descending scale. If you are eligible for the waiver, it means the school can’t:

  • Refuse you the education or sessions based on your financial status
  • Waitlist you as the wrongdoer or refer you to another service provider based on your incapacity to pay the program costs
  • Necessitate any fees as a deposit
  • In case you are eligible for overall assistance, the bill for missed classes an amount exceeding five dollars per month, an additional $5 rescheduling rates, and 10 dollars as reinstatement fees, where possible.

Attending Classes on a Suspended Driver’s License

DUI offenders find it challenging to attend weekly DUI classes, especially if their driving privileges have been suspended or revoked. It is for this reason that after the license has been withdrawn, your Lynwood Hills DUI Attorney should help you apply for a controlled license. Although the places you drive to will be limited, it will be easy for you to attend your DUI classes.

However, it is worth noting that not everyone qualifies for a limited driver’s license. If you refused to submit a sample for blood or breath testing, you could not apply for the license. It means you will need to rely on friends, relatives or public transport to get to your classes.

In case you get an IID controlled driver’s license, you will be allowed to drive anywhere if the device doesn’t detect a measurable amount of alcohol in your breath. If it identifies any alcohol, it stops the car from restarting.

Alternatively, a restricted license will allow you to drive back and forth to work, DUI school, or on the line of work.

Besides, it is crucial to understand that before you are issued with the controlled license, the Department of Motor Vehicles will need documents to prove you have enrolled in a DUI program. Also, you will require proof of fiscal accountability.

Remember that restricted licenses don’t apply to commercial drivers. If you were operating a commercial car during an arrest, you would not be eligible for a controlled driver’s license.

Ways of Showing the Court that You are Registered with a DUI School

There are two ways you can demonstrate to the court or even the California DMV you have registered or enrolled in the program. These are:

Evidence of Admission

As mentioned earlier, when the judge is imposing the penalties, he or she will request proof that you have been admitted to a DUI course within three weeks. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be a problem because the provider of the program you enroll to will send the court or the DMV the paperwork to show you are enrolled. The proof is usually in the form of an enrollment certificate.

Evidence of Completion

During sentencing, the court usually gives the defendant a date when the program must be completed. Upon completion, the service provider will send a copy of the certificate to both the DMV and court to show you have completed the course.

What DUI Classes Entail

DUI school involves instructions and counseling. Instructions may come in the form of lectures, group discussions, or by watching videos. The majority of therapy will happen in group sessions, but a few hours are spent on individual counseling sessions. The classes aim to educate you on DUI statutes, drug and alcohol abuse, and dangers of drunk driving. You should understand that during group sessions or discussions, you may not be ordered to take part actively. But when it comes to one on one interviews, you must be actively involved.

Also, drivers attending DUI school must stay sober. It will be an offense to attend alcohol or drug awareness programs when under the influence. This may even lead to expulsion from the program. You should observe sobriety during the duration of the court-imposed DUI program. If there is any reason for the school to suspect that you are drunk or drugged, you will undergo chemical or breath testing. If the results of the tests show you are intoxicated, you will be expelled and dropped from the school.

And expulsion will happen if:

  • You are unruly to the class
  • You sleep during the session
  • The instructor has reason to believe you are a danger to him or her or other students

Missing DUI School Classes

You already know that missing classes may be tempting. But you should be careful because missing DUI classes come with specific punishments. Some of the repercussions include:

  • Imprisonment
  • Violation of probation terms
  • Bench warrant
  • License suspension

In most cases, when you miss a lesson, you must make up for the missed sessions before completion of the program. Based on the length of the program, if you miss a specific number of sessions, the DUI program might be terminated.

Failure to Finish DUI Programs

The service provider of the DUI school you enroll in has a legal obligation to report you to court or DMV if you fail to complete the program. When this happens, the judge overseeing your case will issue a benchmark arrest warrant. Upon apprehension, the judge will come up with a new probation hearing.

A violation of probation terms also subjects you to additional incarceration in a jail. Moreover, the judge will revoke your controlled license and restore the initial license suspension.

Take note that a DUI school might be a condition for probation. By not completing the school, you have violated probation.

What Happens to Drivers Who are Not from California?

When a DUI perpetrator is ordered to enroll in a DUI school, but it happens that he or she is leaving for military responsibility, then the person may demand leave of absence from the DUI program. But when he or she returns to California, the person will pick up from where he or she left and complete the school as part of probation.

For drivers from outside California who are sentenced to the program, the court may allow you to complete the program in your state, but as long as the course for the out of state program is as complete as that of California DUI course.

Being ordered to attend a DUI school is the last thing you want. To prevent the long hours and hefty fees of the program, you will need your Lynwood Hills DUI Attorney throughout the DUI court and DMV hearing.

Find the Right DUI Attorney Near Me

At the San Diego DUI Attorney, we encourage drivers in Lynwood Hills that have been ordered to enroll in a DUI school to follow through with the program until the end. If you have any questions on DUI classes, don’t hesitate to call our attorneys at 619-535-7150 for a zero obligation, one-on-one, or over the phone meeting.