Wisconsin’s New Driving Under the Influence Penalties Take Effect As Of January 1, 2017
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States, in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
Repeat offender for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) will face tougher penalties in Wisconsin starting with the new year. Concretely this means that the 4th DUI offense becomes a felony regardless of when it has been committed.
Gov. Scott Walker signed a law in April 2016 that makes a fourth DUI offense a felony regardless of when it is committed. Before January 1, 2017, a fourth offense was a felony only if committed within five years of a third offense.
The law also increases the maximum sentence for fifth and sixth offenses from three years to five. Maximum sentences for seventh, eighth and ninth offenses will increase from five years to seven and a half. The maximum sentence for a 10th or subsequent offense will move from seven and a half years to a decade in prison.
Wisconsin remains the only the state that doesn’t criminalize a first offense, however.