Name                                                                                                   Date                                        

Step I:  Alcohol and the Law:  Shannon’s Story

 

Remember the story about Shannon and her experience.  Your task today is to find out what Shannon should have done and what could happen to her.  Does she really have the right to refuse to answer the police officer's questions and to take the alcohol tests?  What are the possible punishments for her behavior?  What will happen next?

 

  1. What is Driving Under the Influence (DUI) / Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)?

 

 

 

  1. Questions about DWI/DUI:

a.        Is DUI/DWI really a big problem, or is it all just hype?

 

 

 

b.       Is it "safer" to drink beer, wine or hard liquor in excess?

 

 

 

c.        What is a blood alcohol content?

 

 

 

d.       Can Shannon be charged with DUI/DWI for driving after taking drugs?

 

 

 

e.        What will happen if Shannon has more than one DUI/DWI conviction?

 

 

f.         Is DUI a misdemeanor or a felony?

 

 

 

g.       What is the legal blood alcohol limit in my state?

 

 

 

h.       What is the penalty for DUI/DWI in my state?

 

 

 

3.        Because Shannon is under the legal drinking age, it is illegal for her to have any alcohol in her system. If she were over 21, how drunk or high would Shannon have to be before she could be convicted of driving under the influence?

 

 

 

4.        How can the police find out whether Shannon is under the influence?

 

 

 

5.        Does Shannon have to take a blood, breath or urine test if asked to do so by the police?

 

 

 

6.        If Shannon is stopping for driving under the influence, is she entitled to talk to an attorney before she decides which chemical test to take?

 

 

 

7.        Remember that while Shannon was taken to the police station, the officers had not charged her with a crime or read her rights to her. However, the police officers ask her questions along the way to the station. Is this legal?

 

 

 

8.        If Shannon is charged with drunk driving, should she get a lawyer?

 

 

9.        Is it legal to design a roadblock to catch drunk drivers?

 

 

 

10.     What should Shannon do if a police officer pulls her over?

 

 

 

11.     If a police officer pulls her over, can the officer search her car?

 

 

 

12.     Shannon's car is towed and impounded (confined in legal custody), and the police search the car for drugs, open bottles, and other illegal items. Is this search legal?

 

 

 

13.     What if Shannon was pulled over at a roadblock and asked to wait and answer a police officer's questions. Is this legal?

 

 

 

14.     What is bail, how is it set, and how would Shannon pay it?

 

 

 

15.     What if Shannon were legally stopped by a police officer on the street, can he search her?

 

 

 

16.     Can a frisk turn into a full-blown search?

 

 

 

17.     If Shannon is questioned by a police officer after being stopped on the street, does she have to respond to the questions?

 

 

 

18.     What are Shannon's rights?

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Shannon’s Story