California DUI Community Service      

Convicted drunk-driving offenders face severe consequences that often include substantial fines and jail time.  However, both California courts and District Attorney Offices have recognized that sentencing alternatives can prove to be more beneficial to both society and DUI offenders.  One sentencing alternative that is sometimes available to DUI offenders is community service.

The community service alternative is generally in conjunction with a probation requirement.  In California DUI misdemeanor cases, probation consists of either supervised or summary probation.  Supervised probation requires that California DUI offenders report to an assigned probation officer who, because of the community service alternative, will have those convicted of a  California DUI perform various community service tasks in addition to possible alcohol/drug testing and/or rehabilitation programs.  Under summary probation, DUI offenders do not have to “report” regularly to a probation officer, but they still have to perform some form of community service and then provide the courts with proof that such service is completed.  It should be noted that if a California DUI offender fails to obey all terms of the probation, including completing community service, he or she may be found in violation of probation, which then results in mandatory jail time.  

The community service alternative requires California DUI offendersto work (without pay) for a civic or non-profit organization such as Cal-Trans, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, YMCA, or other charitable organization.  There are a number of various possibilities in performing community service sentencing alternatives.  Community service alternatives sometimes involve working at a county-run thrift shop, picking up trash at parks, graffiti removal, or volunteering at a church or school.  In other instances,  California DUI offenders in specific professions, for example, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, doctors, dentists, etc., can donate their professional skills to social service agencies. 

Freeway Cleanup

Sometimes the community service alternative entails having California DUI offenders perform labor under the guidance of Cal-Trans.  This type of community service usually involves cleaning up the freeways by picking up trash, removing graffiti from walls along the freeways, or clearing brush.  The number of hours that California DUI offenders are required to work with Cal-Trans is equal to the time that the DUI offender would have spent in jail.  These are known as good time/work time custody credits. 

Generally, there is a certain amount of time allotted that a person convicted of a California DUI has for completing the hours.  If the required community service hours are not completed in this allotted time, the courts may issue a probation violation.  Throughout California, there are a number of different Cal-Trans locations to work from.  Work starts in the morning, generally at 6:00 a.m. when Cal-Trans vans pick up DUI offenders and take them to a number of different locations to work.   California DUI offenders are provided a mid-day lunch break and the work day ends after 8 hours. 

Overall, community service alternatives allow those convicted of a California drunk driving offense to obtain good time/work time custody credits for each hour they spend helping the community.  It provides benefits to society and California DUI offenders.  Taxes are lessened and DUI offenders are allowed to continue to live at home while contributing to their communities.  The community service alternative is an attractive option compared to jail, and experienced  California DUI attorneys will often seek to obtain this alternative for clients. 

Listed below is California's Alternative Sentencing for Driving Under the Influence (DUI):

Jail for a California DUI, Community Service for a CA DUI, California Caltrans Work, and Rehabs for Driving Under the Influence.