Court Costs: The, too-often, undisclosed kicker

When a defendant enters into a courtroom and pleads guilty or is found guilty, included in the disposition of that case is always going to be court costs. In fact, whether you are in a criminal court or a civil court, you are paying for the services of the court, including the Judge, the court officers and even the clerks. Too often, in criminal cases specifically, a defendant is not advised of the court costs associated with their case. When they are advised that they will be necessary, they are rarely prepared for the amount of the bill when it comes in the mail. For example, depending on the number of times an A misdemeanor is set in General Sessions Court, on average the court costs are around $1,000. Can you imagine how much the court costs are associated with a jury trial that goes through General Sessions, through the Grand Jury and all the way through Criminal Court? Sure, justice is your right but you still have to pay for it.

DUI Sanctions: What the law says…

When you plead guilty or are found guilty of a DUI in Tennessee, there are some sanctions that the Statutes of the Tennessee code says are mandatory.

On a first offense DUI, these minimal requirements include 11 months and 29 days in jail, all suspended except for 48 hours. While, on probation, you must complete 24 hours community service work, attend and complete an alcohol safety course, pay a $350 fine plus court costs and lose your driving privileges for 1 year.

The minimum requirements only get worse on a second, third or fourth offense, and the fourth becomes a felony.