Arraignments

Following an arrest, you can expect to be booked and subsequently arraigned. Your arraignment is your opportunity to ensure that your side of the story is heard, which is why it is important that you have the right person representing you. If you have been charged with a DUI, speak with a skilled DUI attorney who has dealt with Atlanta DUI arraignments before. Your attorney can devote the time and resources necessary to build a solid case for you.

An arraignment is a formal hearing where a person is read the charges against them and enters a guilty or not guilty plea. DUI arraignments typically occur 24 hours after the arrest, and a person is just simply told the charges that they are facing. In the meantime, they can pay to bond out.

They stay in municipal jail and will be brought in front of the judge that morning. During Atlanta DUI arraignments people are read their charges and have the opportunity to plead guilty or not guilty. If someone is represented by an attorney they do not need to appear, but if they are not represented by a lawyer they will need to appear.

A guilty plea means that they are guilty of the charge, will stand convicted and then be sentenced to whatever the sentence is. A not guilty plea means that the lawyer will file certain motions to asking for discovery or motion to suppress in 10 days after the arraignment. And a not guilty plea means that the case will be set for a trial date down the road. Once someone has pled guilty, they cannot continue to argue their case because it is closed. People often plead guilty in order to get a lesser sentence. If the evidence is compelling against the person, there might not be a better alternative.

No-contest in Georgia means nolo contendere or no contest. What it means is the person is not guilty but the person is not, not guilty. It is somewhere in the middle. No-contest pleas still suspend a license and is still considered a conviction on a criminal record.

However, when it comes to certain Atlanta DUI arraignments it might benefit the person. A no-contest plea cannot be used against the person in a civil proceeding. So there may be some circumstances where the person wants to go ahead and use a no contest plea. For the most part, no contest pleas are not utilized in DUI cases very much anymore. But a circumstance might be an auto accident where the person is trying to preclude civil liability.

There is no such thing as probation before judgment in Georgia. But, all DUIs have a mandatory 12-month period of probation in Georgia. If the case is reduced to reckless driving, there will be some probation but maybe the probation can become terminated or non-reporting after a period of time. Non-reporting means that a person does not have to go once a month to report to a probation officer. If you want to know more about Atlanta DUI arraignments and probation, you should get in touch with an experienced DUI lawyer. Your lawyer can answer the judge’s questions and enter your plea. Speak with an attorney and know that you are in capable hands.