The “I’m a Good Person, Why Is the State Spending Money to Prosecute Me” Viewpoint: Will That Help Get Your DUI Charge Reduced or Dismissed?

Interviewer: Here’s another question you may have been asked before. How often do you get people who say, “I’m truly a good person. The state’s going to spend all this money pursuing me. Why don’t they just leave me alone? Can I go before the judge and tell the judge that I’m a good person and I do this, that, and the other. Maybe that’ll help my case reduced or dismissed.” Do the courts really care about that aspect?

Brian: Unfortunately, these usually are not considerations that are taken by the state, or by the county or the city. I used to hear it all the time, that if I go in to prison I won’t be able to work and my family will have to be on welfare, and this isn’t worth it to the county. Not only are they spending money to prosecute me and to try and put me in jail but the end result will be they’re going to have to pay welfare for my family.

The fact of the matter is, the county doesn’t care. They are not going to dismiss a case because of what kind of person you are. They’re not going to dismiss a case because of the amount of money that it will take. They have taken cases to trial that were not very strong. If the jury comes back hung, in that the jury can’t find the person guilty but maybe there’s one holdout or two holdouts that say, we think he’s guilty even though everyone else thinks he’s not guilty, the prosecutor WILL go to trial again.

They’ll spend additional days, they’ll take officers off of the street to come in to testify, and they’ll spend additional money and resources to try the case again. They really are not willing to just give up. They are going to fight all the way.

As far as personal attributes, whether someone is a good person, whether he or she is a volunteer at homeless shelters, sometimes that can be used in the defense. I like to get that information from my clients, but it’s more used as “the cherry on top.” If I’m able to convince the prosecutor that there are other legal or factual deficiencies in the case, I like to also be able to include that my client goes to church on Sunday, that they take care of their grandmother, they volunteer at homeless shelters, just to hopefully be that cherry on top just in case the prosecutor’s on the fence.

But in and of itself, just because a person is a good person does not mean that their case is just going to be dismissed, or put to the side, or that they’re going to be treated any differently than any other person including the bad person, such as the gang member.

This is especially true in Arizona; people are treated equally. They are going to go after that gang member the same way that they are going to go after the priest. I think it was about a decade ago where literally they went after a priest who was charged with hitting and either severely injuring or killing someone that was crossing the street. They didn’t give that priest any real benefit of the doubt; and they went and prosecuted that person.

In Arizona, Expect the Seriousness of the Offense to Be Fully Prosecuted

By Brian Douglas Sloan

Call me today for an
‘In Depth’ Free Consultation

Brian Douglas Sloan

DUI ATTORNEY


Why Attorney Brian Douglas Sloan?
Phoenix DUI Lawyer

Why Attorney Brian Douglas Sloan?

18+

18+ Years SOLELY Focused on DUI Defense

4,100+

4,100+ DUIs Successfully Defended

Top Accolades

  • Only DUI "Power Lawyer" in the Nation Featured in USA Today, 2022

  • Top 10 in Arizona

Top 1%

Top One Percent in the Nation

Superb 10/10

AVVO.com

Preeminent
4.9 / 5.0

Martindale-hubble

“I am one of only a handful of Phoenix DUI Lawyers that focuses solely on DUI Defense representation.”

I have spent my entire career focused on DUI Defense representation, having personally defended more than 4,100+ DUI clients in the past 18+ years.

If you’re looking for a divorce attorney, tax attorney, or civil attorney, then I can comfortably say: "I’m not the one for you".

Coming up with traditional, as well as outside-the-box motions and defenses for my clients, often with good results, is the hallmark of my practice.

Lawyers that say they are "aggressive", or "will fight for you", are a dime a dozen. They use these phrases because that is what they think people want to hear. The truth of the matter is, being "aggressive" rarely gets the client anywhere in these court systems. Being "aggressive" isn’t the same as being good, and is often used to put on a show for a client to hide the fact that they aren’t doing anything meaningful for the client.

The same is true for the lawyers that claim to do DUI Defense... and Criminal Cases..., and Accident cases..., and Divorces. A Jack-of-all-Trades is a master of none. By handling all different sorts of cases, they take away from their ability to truly focus on DUIs, and keep up to date on the latest changes in DUI Defense Representation.

What I offer is intelligent, quality DUI Defense, at an exceptional price.

I am one of only a handful of Arizona DUI Lawyers that focuses solely on DUI Defense representation.

I have not only taught other lawyers how to do DUI Defense Representation at statewide seminars, but I produce DUI Legal Guides used by defense lawyers across Arizona.

I am one of the most award-winning DUI Defense Lawyers in Arizona; have been recognized nationally, including in a 2022 issue of USA Today; and there are only a few lawyers in Arizona who have personally defended more DUI cases than I have. I am also one of the most reasonably-priced DUI Lawyers, as I pride myself on charging a Flat Rate only for the legal services you need, and not for the legal services you don’t.

I am also the lawyer who people call once they realize that their original lawyer screwed something up, gave them false hope or false promises, or simply just took their money and didn’t do much on the case. You would be surprised at how often this happens.

Save yourself the trouble of hiring the wrong lawyer, and hire the right DUI Defense Lawyer from the start.

You can reach me on my personal cell phone: 480-720-7839.

Let me know if you have any questions!


Brian Douglas Sloan

DUI Attorney

Free Initial
Consultation

Email address:
Sloan@ArizDUI.com
2 N. Central Ave Suite 1929
Phoenix, AZ 85004