A little while back, I overheard a defense lawyer loudly explaining to his client why a prior felony conviction could be used to enhance the client’s sentence. The client was looking at a fair amount of mandatory prison because of an old aggravated DUI and kept asking why he should receive harsher punishment because of an old conviction for which he already did time. I think those are fair questions. In Arizona, an aggravated DUI is forever an historical prior felony conviction. Once you’ve been convicted of aggravated DUI, you will always be looking at an enhanced, mandatory prison sentence if you are later charged with pretty much any felony. That aggravated DUI conviction will follow you around for the rest of your life, resulting in worse … Read entire article »