subject: Public Intoxication is No Laughing Matter [print this page] Public Intoxication is No Laughing Matter
At one time, public intoxication was depicted in movies and on television as though it were a normal, "funny" aspect of life. Countless comedy routines and television programs involved friendly drunks who would stagger down the streets. These programs always brought big laughs from their audiences. Today, however, public intoxication is no laughing matter. It is a serious crime, one that can have grave consequences. Anyone who is charged with public intoxication should immediately contact a good legal defense attorney who specializes in this area of law.
In most states, any person who appears in public while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the degree that he or she poses a danger to him or herself or to public property can be arrested for being intoxicated in public. Imagine what could happen if someone took a prescription, or over-the-counter drug, without knowing that it might give him or her the appearance of being intentionally intoxicated in public. Did you know that such a person could possibly face charges for public intoxication? An arresting officer might not care one way or the other why someone is stumbling around in public, even if it is being done unintentionally. All they are concerned about is if the person meets the criteria for someone who is displaying any signs of public intoxication.
Anyone who is arrested for public intoxication should immediately find a lawyer who will offer a vigorous defense of the charges. In cases of the crime of being intoxicated in public places, the burden of proof is on the prosecution to show that the defendant was so intoxicated in public, as defined by law, that he or she could not possibly care about the safety of the general public nor about him or herself. Many times, a good attorney can get public intoxication misdemeanor charges reduced to a legal infraction. At other times, an attorney is able to have the charges against his or her client completely dismissed by using various defenses for which he or she was trained.
The arresting officer in an intoxication case will sometimes administer a field sobriety test in an attempt to substantiate his or her conclusion that the person in question is truly intoxicated. However, in some instances, the defense lawyer can argue that there were no objective chemical tests given such as blood, urine or breath analysis tests. This is all the more reason to hire a good defense attorney when charged with public intoxication.
