Charities benefit from court’s poor box

A host of deserving groups and individuals will have a brighter Christmas this year – thanks to the distribution of the €6,900 collected by Gort’s court poor box over the last twelve months.

That’s after Judge Patrick Durcan, helped by Court Service staff, decided on the amount to be allocated to each recipient with Gort.

St. Vincent de Paul, Gort Social Services, Gort Cancer Support, Kinvara Christmas Lights and Young at Heart Kinvara Alive are all benefiting this year from the much needed financial support of the court poor box.

Judge Durcan also decided that a single, undisclosed payment be made to one struggling Gort family deemed worthy of the court’s help.

Most District Courts around the country operate a court poor box system, whereby a judge has discretion to order a guilty person to make a specified donation in lieu of a conviction.

Most defendants jump at the chance to make a donation if it means they avoid a criminal record.

Depending on the mood of the presiding judge, some defendants are even given the opportunity to nominate a charity of their choice.  More often than not though, the judge or the prosecuting Garda will nominate a charity or community group.

The judge will decide on the amount a defendant donates.  Most defendants make the donation straight away in court if they have the money on them, but others are given time to pay the sum involved.

And it’s a boost for charities on a national basis, with €1.74 million gifted from the court poor box system nationwide to various groups in the run-up to Christmas last year.

The poor box system has no basis in law and there are moves afoot to abolish it with some arguing that it facilities people who can afford to buy their way out of a conviction while punishing those who cannot afford to do so.

The Government is also concerned that statutory fines are not being paid or convictions recorded.

The Department of Justice and Equality published the General Scheme of Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill in 2014.

This Bill proposes to abolish the court poor box and replace it with a statutory Reparation Fund that will apply to minor offences dealt with at District Court level.

The good news is that until the Bill is passed, the court poor box will continue to be a welcome feature of rural courts, while bolstering local charities and community groups at this most pressing time of year.