Warren court gives amnesty on fines and costs

WARREN -- An amnesty program for people being sought on bench warrants for nonpayment of fines or costs, or failure to appear in court, is a win-win situation for the defendants and the city, a city councilman says.
Councilman Robert L. Dean Jr., D-at large, who announced the program, said it applies only to people charged with nonviolent misdemeanors and does not expunge the original criminal or traffic offenses with which they were charged.
Those facing bench warrants for their arrest, however, will be able to appear voluntarily in municipal court during an amnesty period, which will begin later this month, and possibly face reduced fines and court costs, he said.
They'll also avoid the prospect of being arrested on the bench warrants and jailed until the next court date, thereby possibly avoiding spending three days in jail over a long holiday weekend, he observed.
"There is a purpose, and then there is a dividend," Dean said. The program's purpose is to allow poor people who aren't habitual criminals to make payment arrangements with the court without fear of being arrested and jailed on a bench warrant, he explained.
To city's benefit
"The city gets a dividend," he observed. The city will benefit by collecting some of the fines and court costs and by not having to pay Trumbull County $68 per day to house each prisoner arrested on a bench warrant in the county jail, he said.
Warren Municipal Court reports it has 1,571 outstanding bench warrants for nonpayment of fines and costs, totaling $514,503, and 1,527 bench warrants for failure to appear in court.
Cleveland collected $1.2 million in overdue fines and court costs when it launched an amnesty program earlier this year, Dean said.