Delay in laws to address court fine jailings

DESPITE a fivefold rise in the number of people being jailed for the non-payment of court fines, laws passed 16 months ago to address the issue will not be operational for at least a year.

Key provisions of the Fines Act 2010, passed in June 2010 to address the rise in such committals, were not enacted because the courts’ computer system could not process them.

The Courts Service told the Department of Justice at the time that the implementation of key proposals — namely the payment of court fines by installment — would only be possible if changes were made to the computer system by which such cases are processed. They pointed out that this would require funding but no provisions were made.