It seems like every day there is a headline about either somebody killing somebody by driving under the influence, or a story about the defendant either pleading guilty to the DUI-manslaughter charge or being found guilty and sentenced. There has been a wide range of sentences reported in the last week. Let's look at a few:
In Santa Cruz, California - A young man got 8 years for an accident that could have killed a whole family and more than one of his passengers, and from which he attempted to flee. I have blogged about it at Santa Cruz California DUI Sentence.
Then there's Miami, where, if you are rich and perhaps can arrange a deal with the victim's family, then you get 30 days. For the whole story see Miami DUI Penalties - Wealthy Person Style.
Contrast that to a Pensacola Florida DUI homicide case where the defendant can't even make bail. For the story, see Pensacola DUI Homicide - Bail Denied.
So there's obviously a gap between the haves and the have-nots, and between states and even between counties when it comes to DUI penalties, right?
According to Oregon DUI Attorney Bart Herron, who has worked as both a private attorney and a public defender, good and dedicated defense lawyers always try to do a great job regardless of whether the client is privately retained or publicly appointed.
According to Florida DUI lawyer familiar with the case, all persons should be treated the same under the law. It is the DUI defense lawyer's duty to see that justice is in fact equal.
Still, you can't help but wonder if money and power have some influence. It worked for O.J. (for a while). It worked for Blake. It worked for Spector (for a while), but it didn't work for Martha or Wesley. It worked for Michael. Didn't work for Winona.
I'd like to believe in what Uncle Hub said in Secondhand Lions in his "what every boy needs to know about being a man speech," that people are basically good, and that money and power, power and money mean nothing.
In the DUI arena it remains to be seen.
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