Washington County Sheriff - WI Laws
These articles will provide a reminder and insight into many laws in Wisconins and ordinances. We hope these provide you with information on how to stay safe and learn more about our laws. For a list of all archived articles visit our Archived Articles List.
Know the Law and Stay Safe
CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY LAWS
Child passenger restraint requirements vary based on age, weight and height. Often, this happens in three stages: infants use rear-facing infant seats; toddlers use forward facing child safety seats; and older children use booster seats.
Many laws require all children to ride in the rear seat whenever possible, and most states permit children over a particular age, height or weight to use an adult safety belt. First offense fines for not complying with a state's child passenger safety laws vary from $10 to $500. Some states also use driver's license points as an additional penalty for noncompliance.
- All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands require child safety seats for infants and children fitting specific criteria.
- 47 states and the District of Columbia require booster seats or other appropriate devices for children who have outgrown their child safety seats but are still too small to use an adult seat belt safely. The only states lacking booster seat laws are Arizona, Florida and South Dakota.
- 6 states (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York, Texas) have seat belt requirements for school buses.
The State of Wisconsin also has further laws on which way the infant seat must face depending on age of child and weight and height.
There is a $75 fine per incident per child in the vehicle that does not meet these requirements.
Contact the Washington County WI Health Department for information and free inspection.
Article by: GHSA
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html
Laws provide many tools to combat drunk driving. All states define drunk driving as operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Most have increased penalties for higher BACs. Specific penalties and deterrents vary from state to state.
Administrative license suspensions allow law enforcement officers to confiscate a driver's license when the driver fails a chemical test. Some states only allow this if a driver refuses to submit to a chemical test to determine BAC. Several states grant limited driving privileges – such as driving to and from work – to drivers whose license has been suspended if the driver is able to demonstrate special hardship.
Recently, more states have been adopting ignition interlock laws, which require all or a portion of convicted drunk drivers to install interlocks in their cars. These devices analyze a driver's breath and disable the engine if alcohol is detected. Other penalties include vehicle or license plate sanctions.
Alcohol exclusion laws let insurance companies deny payment for treatment of drunk drivers' injuries. However, they have had the unintended consequence of limited doctors' abilities to diagnose alcohol problems and recommend treatment. Some states have repealed such laws.
Highlights of current state drunk driving laws include the following:
- 42 states, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands all have some type of administrative license suspension on the first offense. Wisconsin’s is 6 months.
- 47 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have increased penalties for drunk drivers found guilty of driving with a high BAC (often .15 or higher). Wisconsin has this in three categories: .17, .20 and .25.
- 14 states (and 4 California counties) have made ignition interlocks mandatory or highly incentivized for all convicted drunk drivers, even first-time offenders. Wisconsin is one of these states. In Wisconsin it is mandatory for high BAC (>.15) and repeat convictions.
Wisconsin law further imposes vehicle and license plate sanctions which include: Impoundment, vehicle seizure/forfeiture. Wisconsin also has Open Container Laws and Repeat Offender Laws which meet Federal Requirements. Also Wisconsin has Alcohol Exclusion Laws limiting treatment.
Taken in part from:
http://federalcriminaldefenseinvestigator.blogspot.com/2012/11/state-drunk-driving-laws.html
Huber Law 303.08
Any person sentenced to a County Jail for a crime, non-payment of a fine or forfeiture, or contempt of court, may be granted the permission to leave the Jail during necessary and reasonable hours for any of the following purposes:
- Seeking employment (through verified interviews or appointments.
- Working at employment.
- Conducting any self-employed occupation including house-keeping and attending the needs of the person’s family.
-
- Attendance at an assessment ordered by a court under 343.30(1q)c.
- Attendance at a treatment program required by a driver safety plan under 343.30(1)c.
- Attending court proceedings to which the person is a party or for which th person has been subpoenaed as a witness.
- Attendance at an educational institution or medical treatment
By order of the Court, the wages or salaries of the employed prisoners shall be disbursed by the Sheriff for the following purposes, in the order stated:
- Necessary travel expenses to and from work.
- Court-ordered support of the prisoner’s dependents, if any.
- Other incidental expenses of the prisoner.
- Payments, either in full or ratably, of the prisoner’s obligations acknowledged by him in writing or which have been reduced to judgment.
- The Board of the prisoner.
- The balance, if any, to the prisoner upon his discharge.
Employment Restrictions:
- Inmates may only work one job at a time during their incarceration.
- The Washington County Jail reserves the right to request prepayment of an inmate’s entire Huber board in cases where an employer has shown a previous history of non-compliance with Jail rules and requirements.
- When, after reasonable requests for information from an employer has not been provided, the Washington County Jail may restrict the release of an inmate until such time as necessary information is received.
- While incarcerated in the Washington County Jail under the Huber Law, you may only work in Washington County or adjacent counties.
- Huber board is due every Friday. Failure to make payment will result in loss of release until monies have been paid.
- You may not work for other inmates.
The Sheriff may refuse to permit the prisoner to exercise the prisoner’s privilege to leave the Jail not to exceed 5 days for each breach of discipline or violation of Jail regulations.
Information and recommendations are compiled from sources believed to be reliable. The Sheriff’s Office makes no guarantee as to and assumes no responsibility for the correctness, sufficiency or completeness of such information or recommendations. Other or additional safety measures may be required under particular circumstances.
Last Revised: 09/14