If somebody is convicted of a DUI and they’re ordered to pay large fines and fees, the judge can order that to be paid by a specific date or can refer it to a collection department of the court. A lot of times what judges like to do is just give a certain amount of time for someone to pay it off in full. Rather than set up monthly payments, for someone to come in every month and pay, they just say, “Fines and fees due to the clerk at the cashier’s office within six months or within a year.”
One of the things the attorney can do is give you a clue to let you know how long a judge usually will give to pay the fees and fines in full; an attorney may also be able to get you more time if that’s what you need to pay off the amount.
If someone is given a date to pay fines and fees by and they’re not going to be able to do it because of job loss or other circumstances, the most important thing for us to do is schedule a court date to explain the circumstances to the judge. We could ask for either an extension or to possibly convert the fines to community service or community labor or some other option so no violation of probation are committed. If we just wait until the due date and the due date comes and goes, then a person who doesn’t pay can be found in violation of probation and can actually end up going to jail if they willfully don’t pay fines and fees that they owe to the court.
When somebody is unable to pay because they just do not have the means to pay, it is not a willful violation of probation. A judge may revoke probation, but may not punish somebody if they are just unable to pay, and they would switch to an alternative payment method.
Do Certain Fees Require Immediate Payment?
Some courts require payment of certain fees in a relatively short period of time. For example, there are some courthouses that have an alcohol liaison office, which is an organization that keeps the court informed of what classes somebody is in and whether someone gets kicked out of a class. These alcohol liaisons refer people to specific alcohol classes, and some are court-paid-for and some are private organizations. There are private organizations that require a payment in addition to everything else.
Let’s say there’s a $100 fee for documentation necessary to enroll a person in a class, provide the court with proof of enrollment and proof of completion, and make sure that they’re in good standing with the class. That is something that is often required in court. Someone may plead guilty in the courtroom and then be ordered to go downstairs and pay the $100 fee right away to get referred to the alcohol school. That can be a problem because some people may not have that money on hand. If they don’t have that money to pay to get the referral, they can’t get into the program. If they can’t get into the program, they can’t get their license back or they can’t keep their license, which could result in a job loss.
Personal Attention
