DUI Booking Process

While it can vary between locations, an individual would typically be taken to the county jail or a local police department after a Michigan DUI arrest. In the jail a person will give a breath test, finish the booking process, change their clothes, and have their fingerprints taken. Part of the booking process can take place during the observation period before the breath test. For example, the defendant could answer questions and have their picture prior to the breath test.

After the breath test, they will finish the booking process, have you change clothes, and take your fingerprints. At this point of the Michigan DUI booking and jail process, a person will then be required to spend at least some time in a jail cell at the county jail or at the police department.

If an individual is arrested for Operating While Intoxicated in Michigan they will be expected to take an evidentiary breath test on the DataMaster DMT machine, unless a blood test is done. This will be taken at a police station or a jail after the arrest at the conclusion of a 15-minute observation period in the jail.

They may also do one or more breath tests with a handheld machine afterward to determine when the defendant will be sober enough to be released from custody.

A person can expect to submit to a breath test, go through the booking process, and then be held in a jail cell. Sometimes arrestees are all held in one big cell or they might all be in individual cells. A person can expect to be held in custody for a considerable period of time that is usually proportional to the level of his or her intoxication. Those with higher blood alcohol levels will typically spend more time in custody than those with lower blood alcohol levels.

Jails may have different rules as to the types of medications that will or will not be given. However, it is important to have someone bring any prescription medications to the jail right away.

If a person needs to see a doctor, the officers or deputies will decide whether to bring in someone to do an examination at the jail. However, in more severe situations, the person may be taken to a hospital to be examined and treated.

There is no law in Michigan that requires an individual to stay a certain length of time in jail in the DUI booking process. It depends on the specific department and local jurisdiction policies.

If the person's blood alcohol level was very close to the legal limit, some departments will release them once it falls below the legal limit. In other locations, people will have to blow .00 BAC in order to be released. Typically, people are held in custody for at least a few hours. Some policies require a judge or magistrate to be involved in the release process, which could cause a person's release to be delayed by weekends or holidays.