Your prior convictions can be used against you in a Pennsylvania DUI case. That would include prior convictions not just in Pennsylvania, but across the United States. For example, if you had a DUI case in New Jersey and it was within the look-back period, which is 10 years in Pennsylvania, that prior DUI conviction can be used against you if you're facing a DUI case in Pennsylvania. Fundamentally, any prior DUI conviction that's within the past 10 years, that is the look-back period in Pennsylvania in terms of how far they will look back at prior DUI convictions, if it's a prior conviction within 10 years that would be used against you and it would enhance the penalties for Pennsylvania DUI conviction at this time or sentence at this time.
A second or third offense would result into greater penalties and greater penalties yet, if it's a Tier2 or Tier3 versus Tier1, for example, with each increasing Tier, the penalties get more severe yet in addition with each additional conviction. An experienced Pennsylvania DUI defense attorney will help you best understand the potential penalties involve and we'll be able to help best defend against DUI charge. They should be involved from as early as possible in the case.