Would I go to jail if I could not afford my DUI classes? 15 Answers as of January 31, 2012

The good news is that you will not go to jail. The bad news is that you will not have your driving privilege restored until you complete them.

You could be detained. If you cannot afford your classes, you must ask the judge for an extension before the deadline comes up.

Best course of action is to turn yourself in. They may just cite you out, but then you need to make sure you appear for the scheduled hearing. Ask for court appointed counsel, who can then advise the court that you voluntarily turned yourself in on the warrant and why you weren't going to the classes. Judges are usually willing to something out for you. I've had judges not mandate the DUI course, but then you are never eligible to get a license again until you take the course (even though it's no longer court ordered). As to fines and fees you can often do jail time or community service in lieu of a good chunk of them.

Go back to court (with your public defender) and explain your situation. Don't ignore it as sooner or later you will get pickedup on the BenchWarrant and then it will be too late.

The classes were a term of your probation. Technically, any violation of your probation could subject you to jail, but it's a little different with financial issues. Any violation must be "willful" - that means that you had the ability to do what was ordered, but you chose not to. You need to get to court ASAP, explain the situation and get the warrant recalled. You can then get a re-referral to the DUI classes and work it out that way. You'll still need to complete the classes at some point to clear up this case and clear up your license, so try to find a class that will work with you on payments, etc.

If you are picked up on the warrant you will spend at least a night in jail until you are "arraigned" (when a judge reads the charges against you). The Public Defender will be appointed to represent you. The judge will probably release you on "O.R.," so you are free without bail until the case is resolved. You really should speak to someone in the Public Defender's office immediately, before you get arrested.

If you are on probation with compliance dates you need to show that you complied by that date. If you have not finished the item in your probation you still need to show up in court to ask for more time. As you have found out if you do not show up for a compliance date the court will issue a failure to appear warrant. This is a misdemeanor and you could go to jail for this. If you have a warrant and are stopped by the police for any reason you will be arrested and stay in jail until you appear in court on the warrant. You need to go to the court that issued the warrant now and explain why you did not show on your compliance date and why you need a continuance for the classes. Never miss a court date.

Go to court and explain it to the judge. He/she will be understanding if you come in voluntarily and explain what happened. Ask him/her for more time due to your current circumstances.

That depends. If the DUI classes were part of a plea bargain in lieu of jail time, you could be jailed if you failed to complete them. But, there could be many variables depending on the circumstances of your case. Since you've picked up a bench warrant, I recommend you consult an attorney immediately.

You should go to the court and explain your circumstances to the judge. They will likely work something out with you, including a fee waiver for the classes.