540 people jailed for not paying small fines

THERE has been a dramatic rise in the numbers jailed for not paying small fines, despite the introduction of laws ensuring imprisonment is used as a last resort.

Just over 540 people were jailed last year after failing to pay parking and TV and dog licence fines.

The figures represent a nine-fold increase on 2007, when 63 people were imprisoned for relatively minor offences.

The rate is the highest in recent years, despite the passing of the Fines Act last June, which Justice Minister Alan Shatter said “introduces a number of measures to prevent the automatic imprisonment of fine defaulters”.

The laws allow for the payment of fines by installments over a year, or over two years in extreme cases.

But Mr Shatter has confirmed this method cannot be put into practice because the Courts Service computer system has not been updated to allow for payment by installment.

“It is intended to commence these provisions as soon as necessary enhancements have been made to the courts,” he said.

Figures supplied by Mr Shatter show a steady rise in the number of custodial sentences for non-payment of parking or licence fines from 145 in 2008 to 298 in 2009 and 541 last year.

The biggest rise has been for the failure to pay parking fines, which has gone from 36 cases in 2007 to 382 last year.

But the days spent in prison for such offences has fallen steadily, from about 35 three years ago to about 12 in 2010.

Mr Shatter said the numbers in custody at any one time for such offences “is a minute fraction of the overall prisoner population”.

Figures released in February also show 6,681 people were jailed for non-payment of court-ordered fines amounting to €43 million last year.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust said jailing people for not paying fines is a “redundant exercise” and “extremely costly and wasteful in terms of courts, gardaí and prison resources”.