First Time DUI Offenders May Be Eligible For O.R. Release
When you’re arrested for a California DUI, the overall experience can be one of the most frightening and overwhelming of your life. What’s going to happen to you? When will you be released from jail? Will you be able to bail out? When will you get to make your first phone call to ask a friend/family member to bail you out? These and about a zillion other questions will likely be running through your mind.
Posting bail may be one issue that you do not need to consume yourself with. Most first-time DUI offenders are eligible for O.R. release. Being released on your own recognizance (more commonly referred to as an O.R. release) is a benefit that the judge may be willing to grant you as long as (1) you don’t pose an overall public safety risk, and (2) the judge believes you will attend all of your court appearances.
Being released O.R. can save you and/or your friends/family thousands of dollars, which is why it’s definitely worth pursuing. And even if the judge seems reluctant to grant your O.R. release, he/ she may be persuaded to do so if you can prove that your community ties are so strong that you are unlikely to “skip town” or if you propose release conditions, such as agreeing to attend alcohol/drug treatment.
