In response to the increasing number of DUI cases that are appearing in Cumberland County Court, the Patriot news reports that the officials have proposed a DUI central court.
If they receive enough funding from the state, people arrested for a DUI may be able to get their case heard in court much sooner than usual. Now, it can take six months or more to have a DUI case processed. The officials hope that with a new system in place, it would only take a couple of weeks to have first-time DUI offenders sentenced and placed into substance-abuse treatment programs.
Many people are up in arms over how long it takes for a DUI suspect to be seen in court. In one Pennsylvania DUI case, a man was arrested for a DUI four times before his case was brought to court (The Philadelphia DUI Blog). As discussed in a previous article, "No Automatic License Suspension If Arrested For A DUI?" a person's driver's license is not revoked in Pennsylvania until after they have been convicted. And since there is a backup in the court system, it is taking longer for those DUI cases to be heard.
The Patriot News reports that over a third of the 3,400 criminal cases in the Cumberland County Court are DUI cases. Officials believe that by allowing district judges to take pleas, the DUI central court would handle about 500 DUI cases each year. This should relieve the court of their backlog.
In the proposal, a DUI central court would only apply to first-time DUI offenders. Also, the court would be able to inform them if they qualify for the ARD program. In the Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition Program, offenders who have a low BAC level can avoid jail time if they complete the program. A Pennsylvania DUI attorney knows the other requirements that a DUI offender must meet to be considered for the ARD program.
Related Resources:
- Pennsylvania DUI Penalties (FindLaw Knowledge Base)
- Stages of a DUI Case (FindLaw)
- Pennsylvania DUI Attorney Directory (FindLaw)
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