What are the possible penalties for DUI 1st, 2nd, and 3rd?

The penalties for DUI are basically that you can lose your license / your license will be suspended / a person could go to jail for a DUI / the other thing that could happen is a person could be required to get an interlock ignition device, in other words, a device that’s put into your car so that you have to basically give a breath sample in order to drive your own car. 

The penalties for a DUI 1st, 2nd, and 3rd offense, of course they get more serious. A 2nd offense penalty is a circuit court or general sessions offense which carries up to a year in jail. Third offense, the penalty is even greater. And the license suspensions become more serious. So, it’s very important if you’ve been charged with DUI to make sure to take the proper steps to defend yourself. If you have a prior DUI conviction, it stays on your license in South Carolina (on your driving record) for ten years, and so if you had a DUI conviction and then you’re charged again with that ten-year period, it’s a second offense. If you had another one, it’s a third offense and it becomes much more serious. So, it’s very important to see what you can do to make sure you do not get convicted of the first offense. 

If you do not get convicted of it, just being charged with it doesn’t stay on your record – it comes off your record because it’s not a conviction and so it’s very important to do everything you can to try to avoid a DUI conviction.