Repealing Criminal Case Court Costs (H 7084, H 7141, H 7192)

We supported a variety of legislation which sought to address the unnecessary burdens that court costs impose on indigent criminal defendants. H 7141 would have repealed extraneous court costs that are automatically imposed on criminal defendants who are convicted of or plead nolo to just about any criminal offense; H 7084 would have clarified a court’s obligation to comport with existing law designed to ensure that any court costs imposed take into account the individual’s ability to pay; and H 7192 would have limited the circumstances when court costs could be imposed. Ex-offenders face numerous, and often enormous, barriers in their attempt to reintegrate into society, and eliminating the imposition of unnecessary court fines is an important step in making the criminal justice system fairer, promoting justice reinvestment and eliminating an onerous burden on individuals for whom these fines impose an artificial barrier impeding rehabilitation. Unfortunately, all three of these bills died in committee.