Driving under the influence is a serious offense in Virginia and is punishable by jail time. After an arrest, the police take individuals to the DUI jail in Alexandria so the person can get processed. Processing usually requires taking a person’s fingerprints, getting their information and taking their picture. Sometimes this is known as Central Booking. This may seem overwhelming, which is why it is important to work with a lawyer. An experienced DUI attorney can guide an individual through the arrest process, and work to build a solid defense for them.
Central Booking is the initial information intake center at the Alexandria City Jail. When someone is under arrest and brought in by the police, they take the person to a holding area where they take information from them. They find out a person’s name and address. Then they take a person’s fingerprints and their picture. All of this is entered into the system in Alexandria and kept on file.
Once a person’s information is processed, they are assigned to a unit, a cell, or the general population holding room where there will be beds, depending on the alleged crime. Before they go into the jail area, they are going to be brought before the Magistrate to determine whether or not the individual is going to be released on bond.
The Magistrate is also located in the DUI jail in Alexandria, so it is another stop on the way to the general holding area. If the Magistrate determines that someone cannot be released on their own recognizance, they will set a bond for the individual and they will be taken into the holding area to await either a bond hearing or for somebody to post bond for them, if they can afford the amount of bond that the Magistrate set.
Individuals can go to jail for a DUI in Alexandria. Jail-related penalties differ depending on the severity of the DUI and the facts related to the DUI. Since a DUI is a Class I Misdemeanor in Alexandria, a person will likely be facing up to 12 months in jail and up to $2,500 fine.
A mandatory minimum is the amount of time – if a person is convicted of a crime – which they must spend in jail. A mandatory minimum is something that the judge must impose if someone is found guilty of certain statutes in the Virginia Code.
For example, if a person’s blood alcohol level is within a certain range, there are mandatory minimums attached to that type of DUI conviction. If they have a second conviction within five to 10 years after a first DUI conviction, they will also face a mandatory minimum and that is the amount of time a judge must send them to DUI jail in Alexandria.
A judge cannot change the mandatory minimum if a person is found guilty of certain sections of the statute and certain conditions related to their DUI, and they must send the person to jail for that amount of time.
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