Typically, when somebody is put on probation for a DUI case, it can range from three years to five years. When I handle DUI cases in LA County, my clients are put on a minimum of three years of probation.

Probation and how it works also depend on whether the person is put on formal or informal probation. Informal probation usually involves misdemeanor cases, which do not require the person to report to a probation officer.

Rather, they instead will have to do whatever they're supposed to, and a lot of times, the judges will have them come back and forth to court to make sure they do things like their alcohol program, pay their acceptable fines, and adhere to other terms and conditions that the judge places upon them. These other conditions could include community service, attending victim impact panels, or installing an ignition interlock device.

Formal probation is more stringent, and you typically have to report to a probation officer, and they're going to keep much tighter guidelines on you. Often, in DUI cases, you can be put on formal probation and be ordered not to drink any alcohol or do an alcohol program.

You can be ordered to be tested by the probation department to ensure you're not using any illegal substances. The judge can make you do a whole host of things if you're placed on formal probation. In the end, when it comes right down to it – whether you're set on formal or informal probation – it has to do with a lot of different factors. One of the biggest ones is how your attorney can negotiate for you and get you the best possible resolution for your case.

Terms of Probation

Many things that people are concerned about are what can happen if they violate their probation and what can happen to them. It's important to remember that the judge has significant control over probation violations. When you end up taking your plea in your case, the judge will tell you, okay, you're now on probation.

Part of the terms and conditions of your probation is to obey all laws. So, if you break the law, you can violate your probation, and then you'd be looking at up to the maximum of whatever charges you pled to carry. This is a serious matter that can significantly impact your life.

The judge will also give you specific terms and conditions and tell you that if you don't do what the judge tells you to do or you omit to do something you were meant to do, you will violate your probation and be subject to possible jail time and other punishments that the judge can give you.

Usually, the judges are pretty reasonable and will give you some flexibility if you need more time to complete your alcohol program or more time to pay money owed to the court. They will provide you with that time, and they will be reasonable.

It's when they see that you need to do something on the case. You're just ignoring the court's orders and making a bunch of excuses that they will punish you for that, violate your probation, and then make it more difficult in the end to get your case dismissed if that's something that you're interested in.

Can my DUI Probation be Terminated Early?

The answer to that question is technically yes. Your DUI probation in Los Angeles County can be terminated early. Ultimately, it will be up to the judge who you are on probation whether your probation is terminated early.

Before you have any chance to get it ended early, you would have to have no violations and have done everything that the court ordered you to do. The biggest roadblock I see in getting a DUI probation terminated early is that the prosecutors will argue two things.

The benefit of the bargain was that you were supposed to be on probation for three years, so why should you be able to get your probation somehow earlier if that's the deal that was made between the defense attorney and the prosecutor?

The other argument is that the legislature has mandated that if you're convicted of a DUI, the first offense, for example, you must do three years of probation. So, the judge violates the legislative intent if they terminate your probation early. So, many judges will listen to these arguments, and so, yeah, the prosecutor's right and I'm not terminating your probation early.

The few times that I see probation terminated early in a DUI case are when you have an excellent reason to do so. An example might be that you want to go into the military, and you can't be on probation while you're in the military.

You've already served two years, and some change of three-year probation, and you can make a powerful argument that I want to join the military. Look, the recruiter says, I'm accepted, I've done everything, I want to serve my country. Please let me off this probation. That would be a good example.

There are other examples related to jobs, family, and different things that people want to do in their lives. This is all centered around reasonableness and whether or not a judge is going to give you a break and go against the prosecutors. Sometimes, prosecutors can be convinced to terminate the probation early if you have a strong enough argument.

What Happens at the End of Probation

After probation is over, if you've completed everything you're supposed to, then you're no longer on probation, and you don't have to worry about any probation violation.

If, on the other hand, your probation is coming to an end and you haven't finished what you're supposed to do, or you violate it in some way, then the judge can punish you and give you more things to do, put you in jail, and even extend your probation. This underscores the importance of fulfilling your obligations to the court.

After probation is over, if you've done everything you're supposed to, your attorney can file a motion for expungement, which, if granted, will dismiss your case.

As I write this blog, there's no such thing as a true expungement in California, so you can't completely get your conviction wiped off, but you can make it look to the public as though your case was dismissed, again, which is the best you can do. So, as long as you've fulfilled the terms and conditions of your probation, you have a strong argument that you can get your case dismissed.

When you have problems as if you have an internal or external violation of your probation, this can cause you big trouble in a DUI case. Internal breaches typically do not do something the judge ordered you to do.

External violations typically have to do with you picking up a new case outside of your case, the judge finding out about it, getting you to obey all laws, terms, and conditions of your probation, and then trying to add some extra punishment on you. If you've got some DUI issues, you've got to get an attorney who's been down this road before, had success, and can help you get out of the system as fast as possible.