Today, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our local municipal and county courts, are, through their actions or unwillingness to act, creating an insurmountable roadblock to employment and education for the economically disadvantaged in our community. This burden manifests itself in the form of inaction or a hardened and unwavering reaction on the part of local prosecutors and/or the courts to attempts made to resolve outstanding arrest warrants by these individuals that, in many cases, stem only from minor violations of the law like speeding, illegal lane change or running a red light.
Most of us have never seen the inside of a courtroom and, if we get stopped and cited for a traffic violation, we just write a check and mail it in and then go on about life, lesson learned. However, if you can’t pay, what then? The only alternative is to step into the uninviting environment of a courtroom not represented by legal counsel with an uncertain outcome that could, at least in people’s minds, include jail time. Many make the decision to just not show up hoping it will go away, but it won’t, and an arrest warrant is issued.
Recently, I have had the opportunity to counsel some individuals who are trying to take this unique time in our history to get their lives on track, focus on and continue their education, plan for a career and prepare for the future, all admirable traits. However, in their past, they faced the same dilemma of getting a traffic ticket without the money to pay. Today, they find themselves with outstanding warrants that stand in the way of their futures. After a lot of convincing to get them to contact the courts to get these issues resolved with the assurance from me that, particularly in these tough times, they would find a compassionate solution, I find that it is the court itself that stands in the way of their aspirations.
