House lawmakers voted Tuesday to scale back punishments for those who can’t afford to pay court-imposed fines and fees.
State Rep. Sean Lynn (D-Dover) told his house colleagues Tuesday that Delaware’s system of court fines and fees is among the harshest in the country, calling it a counterproductive feature of the state’s criminal legal system.
"In Delaware, for example, " he said, "a misdemeanor charge with a $100 punitive fine frequently results in over $500 in court-imposed fines and fees.”
Because the majority of defendants in Delaware are low-income, Lynn argues most are unable to pay their court debts, ruining their credit and prompting courts to revoke their drivers’ licenses. Some of those fines pay for specific functions within the criminal legal system; others go directly to the state’s General Fund, though some, like the "public defender fee," bear names that suggest the dollars go to specific purposes.
Lynn bill would eliminate some court fines entirely and allow judges to waive any fine at any time. It would also restore the drivers licenses of Delawareans who lost them because they could not pay their court debts.
The bill - introduced last June - passed the House by a 31-9 margin. It now heads to the state Senate.
