What Is Zero Tolerance?

"Zero Tolerance" defines the practice of applying mandatory enforcement policies for specific offenses. With zero tolerance policies, persons in authority are compelled to act without regard to severity and intent of specific offenses. Instead, they are compelled to take compulsory action concerning individuals who violate pre-determined policies designed to maintain order, or minimize behavioral infractions. To protect yourself if you are arrested for driving under the influence, it's imperative to employ a DWI defense attorney that is specialized in his or her practice.

Variations Of Zero Tolerance Policies

Zero tolerance could result in the expulsion of a student who brought two loaded guns to school, violating a zero tolerance policy for weapons. Or, it could result in the expulsion of another student who was an Eagle Scout, and merely forgot that his jacket pocket still contained a Swiss Army knife from a weekend camping trip with his scout troop.

Zero tolerance could lead to imposing the same penalty for giving another student an aspirin for a headache as it would for giving a student the narcotic and addictive drug Oxycontin, if taken from a parent's medicine cabinet without permission.

Zero Tolerance: No Exceptions

Zero tolerance for open containers in a vehicle means that having a week old can of beer in the backseat cup-holder (left by a friend while the driver was unaware) might well receive the same treatment or penalty as a driver with a just-opened bottle of cold beer as he drives away from his subdivision in his car to the golf course.

Zero tolerance fundamentally removes the consideration of "extenuating circumstances" regarding a violation or infraction, and imposes a penalty or consequence without subjective judgement of the behavior.