New Court Costs Plans

[securespark]

Hearing on the radio this morning that court costs are going to be charged to the guilty party (as we have known for a while).

But what we didn't know is the level of those charges, said to be set around £1200-1300.

Hang on though....what will the scrotes who get done do?

Claim they can't pay because they are skint then go back to their homes (after being punished if applicable) which are dripping with the latest technology.

Repossess the stuff out of their homes to pay off their court costs.

No whiney pathetic excuses

 

[EddieM]

have to say I am uneasy about this.

 

[JBR]

I have always been in favour of the guilty being made to pay for their crimes; not the lenient 'punishments' that many of them just laugh at these days.

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

 

[AronSearle]

No.

Stupid idea, the costs of running the court system is tiny as a part of government spending, and even if it wasn't it is just the price of having a functioning justice system.

I have always been in favour of the guilty being made to pay for their crimes; not the lenient 'punishments' that many of them just laugh at these days.

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

What you say offends me, and I think it is racist.

Now accept a police caution or go to court and face possibly £1000's in costs.

 

[JBR]

What you say offends me, and I think it is racist.

You know that form of accusation is meaningless these days, due to over-use.

 

[Norcon]

Yes good idea.
It will only hurt law breaking offenders at the end of the day.

If the cost of running courts is so small then why are they closing so many down? Local one in my area is facing the axe and another seven on the list.
Sharia courts run by the fabric heads will soon replace them any way.

 

[AronSearle]

It will only hurt law breaking offenders at the end of the day.

So you get court speeding or for some other minor offence and believe yourself to be innocent.

Do you contest it, and risk thousands of pounds in court fines.

Or do you just avoid that risk and pay the much lesser fine and accept a caution.

Not hard to spot more flaws in this if you actually think about it, but then this sort of proposal is a populist idea that will garner support amongst the brain-dead.

If the cost of running courts is so small then why are they closing so many down?

Running costs are small as a % of GDP, does not mean they won't look to make efficiency savings.

 

[Norcon]

Yeah closing them down is a pretty good "efficiency" saving. Lets close down the hospitals and council offices too whilst were at it and make more "efficiency savings".
You speak like a typical labour politician trying to justify another £200 billion debt fuelled spending spree.

This type of idea is the one that puts fear in the law breakers.
So bring it on.

I've never been "court" speeding yet.
And even if I was I wouldn't be idiotic enough to think I'm innocent.

Have you ever thought about the best way to avoid a speeding fine?

Clue.....
It has something to do with the accelerator pedal.

 

[EddieM]

AFAIK the charge is for criminal offenses. Speeding is of course a civil offense.

 

[Belboz]

AFAIK the charge is for criminal offenses. Speeding is of course a civil offense.

Absolute bo&^%$$s

 

[EddieM]

Indeed I stand corrected apparently speeding is a criminal offense, I didn't know that before. It is not however recordable as such, therefore you do not receive a criminal record.

 

[Belboz]

Yes, excess speed is not a recordable offence (amongst hundreds which are similarly not recordable) but the original post was about court charges.

Pleading G to an offence at Magistrates Court will trigger a £150 cost. Pleading NG and triggering a summary trial [and then court charges if you are convicted] will be around the £720 mark. The upper amount quoted in the original post refers to a Crown Court trial. For anyone interested in the actual proposals (as opposed to media drivel) I have posted the link at the bottom of this post.

I have no idea of what percentage of GDP is spent on the criminal justice system but I can say that £1,200 for a Crown Court trial doesn't even touch what it would cost. A 3-day trial at Crown Court would easily amount to at least 10 times that amount (probably a considerable amount more)

HMG is clearly trying to recoup some of this cost on top of the changes it has made to legal aid for criminal trials (putting more of the cost to the defendant via a minimum contribution//means test system)

The reason they have shut many courts is due to the fact that the actual courtroom staff are a fraction of those needed to run a court. A small Magistrates Court will have around 20-30 support staff to pay as well as a significant cost in maintaining the [outsourced] cells and prisoner transports. Reducing the number of courts means a significant reduction in costs across the board.

However, the costs of a trial (summary or at Crown) remain on the increase.

My main concern is not whether charges will prompt defendants to plead guilty to save money [that is debatable] but that this will be yet another case of gaining money from those who already pay their way.

In my experience, the habitual visitors to the local courts will continue to ignore demands to pay these costs - just as they currently ignore the demands to pay fines, victim compensation and current court costs.

If you read the attached, it suggests that HMG are not bringing in anything new to cope with this and the current means of enforcing payments will continue. 'Scrotes' will continue to fail to pay and be happy to spend 3 days in prison to wipe a £1000 debt off.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../336085/fact-sheet-criminal-courts-charge.pdf

 

[AronSearle]

Did you forget your medication today Norcon, so much stupidity and so many assumptions in your post.

So you get caught speeding or for some other minor offence and believe yourself to be innocent.

Do you contest it, and risk thousands of pounds in court fines.

Or do you just avoid that risk and pay the much lesser fine and accept a caution.

Try reading it properly.

And yea I'm sure court fee's will prevent criminals breaking the law, if the threat of spending serious time in jail won't, I'm sure court costs will have those criminals trembling in their boots!

 

[JBR]

If you read the attached, it suggests that HMG are not bringing in anything new to cope with this and the current means of enforcing payments will continue. 'Scrotes' will continue to fail to pay and be happy to spend 3 days in prison to wipe a £1000 debt off.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../336085/fact-sheet-criminal-courts-charge.pdf

This is, indeed, the root cause of our problems.

These days, the punishment so often does not fit the crime. The answer is obvious: sentences should be both a punishment and a deterrent, and the latter would almost certainly reduce the need for criminal trials.

The lenient do-gooders have had their way for decades now. Have they actually done any good?

 

[noseall]

The lenient do-gooders have had their way for decades now. Have they actually done any good?

What is your idea of a do-gooder?
It seems to be your favourite word at the mo'. Show me an example of a do-gooder that you keep banging on about and one that has an influence.
Please.