Criminal Law Overview

Crimes in Washington generally fall into two categories: felonies and misdemeanors.

Felonies:

Generally speaking, a felony is a crime for which the sentence may be more than one year in prison.

Misdemeanors:

There are two categories of misdemeanors in Washington:
1) Gross misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine).
2) Misdemeanor (punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or $1000 fine).

DUI (Driving Under the Influence) is a gross misdemeanor. A first time conviction for DUI results in a mandatory minimum of one day in jail as well as a mandatory license suspension. Washington is a .08 state for purposes of determining impairment. Subsequent convictions for DUI carry increasing amounts of mandatory minimum jail sentences.

Deferred Prosecution

A deferred prosecution is sometimes an option for clients. In a deferred prosecution, an individual suffering from an alcohol or drug problem can obtain treatment and potentially avoid a DUI conviction or driver's license suspension.