No. For misdemeanors, you will most likely immediately serve the jail time according to what county the offense was in. This is subject to some exceptions.
If the county jail is full, sometimes the best thing the sheriff can do is tell you to come back. If there is funding, they might try to send you to an adjacent county that does have jail space.
Another option in Hamilton County is that various programs are also offered in some cases as jail alternatives. Some of these programs are actually state certified jails by the Ohio Department of Corrections. They are off-site of the mail jail downtown Cincinnati, but focus more on treatment for chemical dependency and mental health.
If you have been sentenced to a first offense OVI or DUI in Ohio, your best chance to avoid jail is DIP. This stands for Driver Intervention Program.
This program is an option to avoid the mandatory minimum 3 days in jail required to be served for first offenders that refused the breath test or tested and obtained a breath test equivalent of less than 0.170 g of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.
Even in a county that offers off-site jail facilities to treat rather then contain, you are at the mercy of the Sheriff and the availability of jail space. Beds are usually first come first serve, with need weighed in there somewhere.
And remember, if you or a family member has been arrested for DUI or OVI in the Greater Cincinnati- and that includes Butler, Warren and Clermont Counties and the areas of West Chester, Mason, Blue Ash, Montgomery, Lebanon, and other surrounding areas as well – give our office a call at 513.333.0014….24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Because now is the perfect time to put a team that includes former police officers and former prosecutors to work….for you.
