With Memorial Day weekend coming up and summer approaching, many of us enjoy getting together with and enjoying activities with friends and family, which may also include the consumption of alcohol.

If you are arrested for DUI, here are some of the major recent changes concerning the possible penalties and consequences for a DUI conviction.

DUI in Arizona is a Class One Misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of six (6) months in jail, up to $2,500 in fines, and up to three (3) years of supervised probation as well as associated penalties from the MVD resulting in suspension/revocation of your driver's license and the requirement to install an interlock ignition device on your car, at your expense. Arizona requires jail time and installation of the interlock ignition device even with first time DUI offenders.

Effective this year, Arizona has made changes to certain penalties associated with DUIs. First, although still requiring some jail time, Arizona now allows Courts to offer offenders to be sentenced to a home detention and/or a continuous alcohol monitoring program. Even in jurisdictions without an approved home detention program, offenders may still have their mandated jail sentences suspended by the Court upon the installation of an interlock ignition device.

Additionally, the requirement for installation of the interlock ignition device can be reduced from the former one (1) year requirement to only six (6) months now. Finally, Courts are now allowed to make exceptions from the interlock ignition requirement for employer-owned vehicles used by the offender in or as a part of their employment.

If you receive a DUI, please call Owens & Perkins. An experienced, knowledgeable attorney can make all the difference in navigating through the process and helping you to obtain the BEST RESULT possible.