8 Nevada DUI Offenders Sent Back to Prison
A week and a half ago, eight people convicted of “DUI causing death” in Nevada were sent back to prison when Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto ruled that the Department of Corrections wrongly released them early. Nevada DUI law mandates a minimum two-year prison sentence for “DUI causing death” in Nevada, but these eight people served only part of that time. The Attorney General’s ruling came on the heels of a report that many convicted "DUI with death" offenders have been allowed to serve house arrest too early in their sentence.
Family of the DUI victims are hailing the Nevada DUI law ruling as justice served, while attorneys for the eight rebooked inmates are researching their options to contest the measure. In justifying her decision, Nevada Attorney General Masto said, “Since the article came out, I have reviewed the law, and the advice given by our office was wrong . . . We contacted the [corrections department], and they'll take immediate corrective actions. We want to do what's right for the victims.”
Nevada DUI law makes it a category B felony to cause death in a drunk-driving accident. The penalties include two-to-twenty years imprisonment with an optional $2,000 to $5,000 fine. People convicted of DUI causing death will probably be incarcerated in a minimum security prison and segregated from violent offenders.
Read more about this story at http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20100218/NEWS/100219899/1055&ParentProfile=1045
