Nearly all criminal and civil traffic cases involve fines. The goal has always been to collect what is owed. The message is changing. Collect what is owed but also keep customers contributing.
Keep them driving. Negotiating can contribute to a resolution that provides relief to both the customer trying to pay and the compliance office trying to collect. It’s time to consider options for negotiating payment plans.
Read MoreIn all word creations there is a tendency to involve more words and multiple options. But in reality we have to pay attention to what the reader is trying to accomplish and even more importantly, what we want them to accomplish. This happens with forms too, like payment plans in compliance service. Let’s take a closer look.
Read MoreJust about everything seems to be closed these days. Schools, churches, restaurants, business big and small. Even Disney World is closed right now. By the use of teleconferencing business keeps going. That is true at Compliance Corner. We’ve replaced road trips with virtual visits to discuss compliance concerns. Have you made your plan for the other side of compliance?
Read MoreIn compliance service payment plans create terms, track due dates, and collect payments from customers. At times, multiple cases come in for one customer. Each has fines. Many with different due dates. It becomes difficult to keep up with.
Read MoreWe will make it through this, but recovery will take time. When business resumes in the coming months, has your team begun to think about getting courts and compliance service rolling again?
Read MoreWe are challenged in unprecedented times in our courts, in our country, and around the world. When we talk about a virus most think about computers and what that does to the internet. The Coronavirus is more invasive affecting people around the world as demonstrated in global maps seen on the daily news. It has been a game-changer.
Read MoreThe Florida Supreme Court weighed in on Amendment 4 confirming that all sentencing terms must be completed by felons to become eligible to vote which includes fine payments. Passed by Florida voters in 2018, the amendment provided voting rights restoration. Original proponents of this change looked for immediate relief to the over 6 million voters ineligible due to felony convictions. Clarification of the process came from Senate Bill 7066 in 2019 defining what was meant by “all terms of a sentence must be satisfied”. All meant everything, including the payment of fines.
Read MoreWhen a defendant steps before a judge awaiting sentence there are so many things to think about and so much to consider. But honestly, the most important words hinge on the possibility of jail time and the length of probation. The remaining litany of terms becomes a blur.
This includes court fine compliance. It’s not really about caring to pay as much as not hearing that the judge ordered it. And most defendants just want to get away from the courtroom to try and figure life out again.
Read MoreIgnoring traffic ticket fines could result in your drivers license being suspended. From 2016 to 2018 over 3.1 million suspensions were issued for failure to pay traffic or criminal fines according to the Florida Clerk of Court Operation Corporation (FL-CCOC). A suspension doesn’t prevent you from getting behind the wheel. License suspension citations often occur as a result of a drivers license check enforced during a subsequent traffic stop. But it could potentially lead to your arrest and back in front of the judge to answer new charges. Suspension or not, people continue to drive.
Read MoreCourthouses need look no farther than the mailroom for improving compliance with fees and fines. In a mobile-first world, there are more options than ever to reach connected consumers. While snail mail may never go completely out of style, emailing and texting offer more ways to quickly (and cheaply) follow up on court notices, increasing the chances of those notices getting noticed.
Read MoreConcerns about the most fair and effective methods to encourage citizens’ compliance with court orders are sweeping the U.S., but as old enforcement tools fall out of favor, new ones are needed.
When a judge orders a fine, it is expected that the fine gets paid. If payments are late, a decision must be made that balances the judge’s order against a citizen’s ability to comply. Strict enforcement via jail time for those who can’t pay results in additional costs for both the defendant and the local court system, extracting a penalty beyond the judge’s original intent. As courts respond to concerns about historical enforcement methods, more discussion and education about alternative solutions that encourage and recognize the intent to comply should follow.
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