The state Judicial System yesterday released a report on the amount of money that county courts ordered civil and criminal defendants to pay in fines, restitution, and court costs last year, and the amount those defendants actually paid.
Statewide, the statistics show that defendants have paid about half of what they have been ordered to pay since 2008. But many payments are set up on installment schedules, so the rate of delinquency is not as bad as it seems.
In Indiana County, total court-ordered payments from Common Pleas Court judges totaled $2,547,909 at the end of last year. Of that, $761,842 had been paid, leaving $1,786,067 outstanding. That’s a 29.09 percent collection rate.
Magisterial District Court judges ordered $1,861,749 in fines, restitution, and costs going back to 2008. Of that total, by the end of last year, 80.33 percent had been paid, leaving $366,245 outstanding. Defendants are more likely to pay those costs in a timely manner because the amounts are generally lower, and for lesser crimes.
