MAGISTRATES COURTS ARE DROWNING

 

Financial impositions and amounts paid by imposition type

In Q3 2023 the total value of impositions increased compared to the previous quarter (up 7%). The latest imposition figure is 32% above that seen in the previous year, with increases seen across all imposition types – most notably a more than doubling in the amount imposed for victim surcharge, up from £12.8m in Q3 2022 to £27.4m in Q3 2023.

Outstanding financial impositions

In Q3 2023, the total value of financial impositions outstanding in England and Wales was £1.56 billion, up 3% on the previous quarter and 12% on the previous year. [my bold].

The amount of outstanding financial impositions is now nearly 3 times the amount in Q1 2015 (£571m). A change in policy regarding the collection of financial impositions is partially behind this cumulative increase – unpaid accounts are no longer routinely closed and therefore, more outstanding impositions are carried over from previous periods.

The above is copied from government published criminal courts statistics. In 2023, 80% of all offenders were sentenced to a fine. In round figures that translates as 830,000 defendants in criminal courts being sentenced to a fine.  Summary motoring offences accounted for 73% of all fines: so much for some basic statistics.  Means courts were part of everyday life as a magistrate when I was active.  I have no knowledge whether such courts now operate under the Single Justice Procedure.  What I do know is that they allowed the bench the unusual and difficult for some colleagues` task of being an inquisitorial magistrate in the continental style to ascertain as far as possible wholly accurate and complete answers to questions on offenders` incomes whether at a personal or company level.  In practice this meant demanding audited accounts previously submitted to HMRC or perhaps e.g. wage slips over a specified period.  It was standard practice to tell those with unpaid fines that such fines were the first liability in any legal financial liability claims pending.  Whatever governments in power might say now or previously the inefficient pursuit of outstanding fines makes a mockery of the system.  

The ladder of punishments available when summary justice has been duly carried out has for decades been fine, community service and prison.  The disaster within the prison system is public knowledge and  the probation service is on its knees.  This now leaves some creative thinking of how magistrates courts should impose financial penalties and how their payment must be ensured. 

A Bassetlaw fly tipper was recently sentenced to a community penalty.  His case appeared typical of such law breaking.  It was to perform an illegal activity {not a householder disposing of his/her own unwanted ephemera} for financial gain.  Surely a financial penalty high enough to hurt in the pocket would have been a more suitable outcome.  However that would have required further hearings which, with the enormous court backlogs, Deputy Justices Clerks would have frowned upon.  

With rising vehicle insurance premiums it is likely that future statistics will show an increasing number of drivers guilty of "no insurance".  Fines for such an offence must be raised beyond current limits:- Fine Band A  i.e. 50% of relevant weekly income within the range  25 – 75% of relevant weekly income.  Out of the box thinking, a difficulty for those inculcated in the ethos of "do not disturb", must be applied to the whole structure of the magistrates courts.  The system is beyond needing sticking plaster.  It needs life saving treatment to avoid drowning.