Massachusetts DUI First Offense Costs
Clients often ask about the costs associated with Massachusetts DUI First Offense conviction. They are as follows: a mandatory $50.00 OUI Victim / Witness Assessment, a $250.00 24D OUI Fee, a $250.00 head injury fund assessment, a $65.00 monthly probation fee, a fine of between $500.00 and $5,000.00, 25% surfine, and Massachusetts DUI First Offenders are required to pay for the 24D Alcohol Education Program, which costs approximately $600.00. This class must be completed as a condition of probation and enrollment is mandatory to get a hardship license. The Massachusetts RMV charges a $500.00 license reinstatement fee for first offense DUI cases. The failure to pay these mandatory fines, fees, and costs can result in a probation violation, the issuance of a default warrant, and the conversion of a continuance without a finding (CWOF) to a guilty finding. There are also "hidden costs" such as the substantial automobile insurance premium increases caused by a DUI conviction.
Although jail is not a real possibility for the majority of Mass. DUI First Offenders, many charged with OUI elect to take their cases to trial to avoid the above-listed expenses as well as having a criminal record and having to face being charged as a DUI second offender. Along with the substantial costs assocaited with an OUI conviction, the lifetime lookback period for DUI offenses makes taking a Massachusetts DUI case to trial an attractive option.
