Law body seeks statutory footing for poor-box system
20/09/2005 - 07:20:35The Law Reform Commission has called for the poor-box system of imposing fines for minor offences to be put on a statutory footing.
Under the system, people charged with minor offences are asked to make a contribution to charity to avoid a criminal conviction.
However, this is currently at the discretion of individual judges and its use varies from district to district.
In a report published today, the Law Reform Commission said the poor box should be replaced with a formal reparation fund that would only apply to summary offences tried in the District Court.
It also said the fund should only be used when charges are dismissed and never when a conviction has been recorded.
