Unpaid fines - System is becoming a sick joke

Since the demise of the Celtic Tiger economy, the number of people being committed to jail for non-payment of court-ordered fines has been growing precipitately, from 2,520 in 2008 to 4,470 in the first six months of 2012.

This would suggest that a record 9,400 are likely to be committed in 2012, which will exceed last year’s record total of 7,514. That would amount to a 25% increase.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter warned in 2011 that the biggest challenge facing the prison service was the number of people being committed to prison, even though they were already overcrowded.