NCJ Number
133221
Journal
Court Manager Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1991) Pages: 13-17
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The introduction of monetary sanctions in Colorado for certain offenses caused new problems; defendants knew that time to pay would be granted almost automatically, and administering payment plans and processing arrest warrants on nonpaying cases soon placed the burden of monetary sanctions on the courts instead of on defendants.
Abstract
Because judges and the courts needed an effective system to determine a defendant's ability to pay, a pilot collections program was established in three Colorado county courts of limited jurisdiction in 1985. Each location was given a collections investigator who was responsible for interviewing defendants who requested stays of execution on their fines and costs, granting or denying stays based on defendants' financial abilities, and contacting defendants with delinquent cases. Studies of the pilot courts revealed a 40-percent decrease in the number of stay requests granted, and increases in receivables collection ranged from 17 to 26 percent. The Colorado Judicial Department now has a permanent collections investigator program comprised of 29 full-time and part-time collections investigator positions. The program focuses on collecting fines for traffic, traffic infraction, and misdemeanor cases in county courts. The Judicial Department has adopted income guidelines to assist the collections investigator. These guidelines establish certain maximum income levels, depending on family size. The program has substantially increased the collection of fines and costs. The Judicial Department is now studying the potential effects of implementing the program in probation departments at the district court level.