Social Hosting Penalties in Darien

Darien is a town where people feel very strongly about keeping their roads and community safe from drunk drivers. People are also concerned with keeping kids safe from themselves, especially teenagers who tend to engage in underage drinking and marijuana use. Darien is a close-knit suburban town and teenagers tend to engage in high-risk activity, sometimes in the garage houses of big companies. You may think that providing your underaged sibling or child with alcohol is harmless, but it can lead to you facing social hosting penalties in Darien. If you have been charged with social hosting, speak with an adept criminal defense attorney today.

Charges for Social Hosting

The charges parents face for providing alcohol to minors, and the ensuing social hosting penalties in Darien can be quite severe. Parents can be arrested in Darien Connecticut for providing alcohol to a minor under CGS 30-86.

This is a felony arrest in Darien Connecticut and can cause significant damage to a parent’s reputation. Their names and mugshots may appear in the newspaper. Not only can it be humiliating, it can also open the parents up to other charges like the additional felony crime of Risk of Injury to a Minor under CGS 53-21 and in addition, which carries a maximum 10-year jail sentence.

How Prosecutors and Judges Treat Cases of Underage Drinking?

Darien, Connecticut is especially tough on enforcing underage drinking laws. There is actually a party busting hotline sponsored by local police, where a person can anonymously call the police to report an underage drinking party, and the Darien police will arrive at the party, end it, and make arrests if necessary. Those who are of legal drinking age, that provided the alcohol for the party, could also find themselves facing charges and social hosting penalties in Darien.

Darien is enforcing these laws and they are creating ways to take Darien teenagers to task in supporting efforts to prevent underage drinking. Some courts are trying to get guilty pleas in many cases and will often put the kids on a probationary period in an effort to deter future occurrences which they believe will really help them appreciate the severity of their alleged reckless behavior. However, the guilty plea could be on a permanent record and could potentially cause problems when the teenager is trying to find internships, applying to grad school or looking for employment down the road.

Laws Regulating the BAC of Minors

There are no laws surrounding BAC for minors. It is not illegal to be intoxicated – it is not illegal to have a BAC if a person is under 21 but, if that person is caught in possession of alcohol or drunk driving, then that is illegal.

So if a person is just pulled over or if a person is at an event and an officer does a breath test on that person, that individual cannot be arrested for having a BAC. The reasons are, as Darien, Connecticut criminal lawyers agree, is because they can’t prove why a person may have a raised alcohol level, it could be from mouthwash or from other legal substances that have alcohol in them.

Severity of Penalties for Underage Drinking

Sentences and penalties for underage drinking are typically not as serious as it can be for adults who abuse alcohol and drugs. It can be challenging because in certain cases, Darien teenagers are set up to fail in the court system – especially when teenagers are surrounded by underage drinking parties.

Minors will sometimes push the limits of acceptable behaviors. This is why it is important to seek the advice of a Darien, Connecticut criminal lawyer who can fashion a disposition that provides the court with comfort as well preserves a clean record for the accused.

Contacting a Lawyer

It is critical that if you have been charged with underage drinking or providing alcohol to a minor, get in touch with a qualified defense attorney. Social hosting penalties in Darien can be especially punitive, resulting in felony convictions that strip individuals of their rights. Contact an attorney that can fight these charges, and attempt to get these charges off of your record.