Penalties for first offense DUI are serious enough in some states to ruin the life of the offender. Beyond the $3,000 - $5,000 in legal fees and fines, the more serious penalty will be loss of a driver's license for 3-6 months. This can easily lead to loss of employment and even bankruptcy -- for a first offense, without any damage done to people or property. Some states do not permit any driving at all on a suspended license, even driving to work.
The penalty experienced by someone who loses his driving license depends on something irrelevant to the offense: how far the offender lives from his workplace, markets, etc. Someone who walks to work may expereience only minor inconvenience, while someone who drives many miles to work and can't get a ride has a personal disaster, plus a substantial incentive to drive illegally. Isn't the punishment supposed to be proportional to the crime?
I talked to one man who had been arrested for first offense DUI, lost his license, but found himself in a situation where it was necessary to him to drive. He was caught driving, and a judge gave him six months in jail. He lost everything -- house, job, etc. He talked freely about the appeal of suicide. All for drinking a too much at a party and then driving once when he shouldn't have. I had no way to verify his story, but I talked to an attorney who said that it was very plausible.
DUI at high blood alcohol levels is a serious offense that merits penalties that serve as effective deterrents. But first offense DUI should not destroy the offender's life, and necessary driving should be permitted.
According to some sources, far more people commit suicide while incarcerated for DWI in this country than are killed in crashes caused by drunk drivers.
Yet another reason to fight this tyrrany.
...and if he kills a family just because it was "once"????