HAVE YOU OR WILL YOU USE THIS AMNESTY PROGRAM!Effective FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009 through SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009, the City of
I. WHO MAY PARTICIPATE
All delinquent cases issued prior to and including February 28, 2009, qualify to be resolved under Amnesty guidelines and procedures.
Only the defendant named in the citation or their attorney can participate in the amnesty period. Bonding companies, friends, relatives, and spouses cannot make the request on behalf of someone else, except when paying a Capias Pro Fine, which is a previously adjudicated case.
The Amnesty guidelines do not apply to previously adjudicated cases where the defendant failed to pay the fine, failed to take defensive driving, or failed to complete community service, and are now in Capias Pro Fine status.
The Amnesty guidelines do not apply to a defendant that is in custody.
All minors under the age of seventeen (17) are considered “Juveniles”, and must appear in Court with a parent, guardian, or managing conservator to handle their cases including defendants charged with Minor in Possession of Alcohol or Minor in Possession of Tobacco cases. Defendants (17) and older are considered “Adults: (even if their citation was issued when they were a Juvenile) and their case(s) may be addressed and resolved as an Adult.
II. CRIMINAL CASES
Ø Defendants who voluntarily pay the standard fines in full on all outstanding delinquent (warrant status) citations, will not be assessed an additional "Failure to Appear" (FTA) charge. Additional violations of a FTA will be assessed at 50% of the standard fine.
Ø Defendants with one or more charges of FTA with no associated underlying cases(s) may pay a reduced fine of 50% of the standard fine.
Any defendant who voluntarily appears in the Municipal Court during amnesty will be permitted to pay all outstanding unadjudicated delinquent cases with assessment of FTA fine and warrant fees and will not be subject to arrest and incarceration.
Why can't people just pay their parking tickets when they get them?!?!
ReplyDeleteHas anybody seen the fines for HPD tickets? They're outrageous. No wonder alot of people don't pay
ReplyDeletethem, they can't afford to!
http://www.houstontx.gov/courts/pdf/fineschedule_0108.pdf
i second that usa1!
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase the old saying, "If you can't pay the fine, don't do the crime!"
ReplyDeleteIf you know something is illegal, don't do it!
If the fines cost less, they wouldn't be a deterrent.
Steve- Would it be OK for them to raise the fine for speeding to $5,000? How about $10,000?
ReplyDelete$5,000 or $10,000 is ridiculous, and I'm sure would be tossed out on appeal as being unconscionable. However, $200-300 is high enough to make you think about it before you speed. It shouldn't be high enough to bankrupt someone, but the fine should be high enough to hurt, if it's going to be effective.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those optional taxes. You have control over whether or not you speed or violate the law, so you have control over whether or not you have to pay. There are times when people are falsely ticketed, and the legal system allows for trials to prove innocence is those cases, but most of the time, when you get a ticket, you know you broke the law.
That doesn't mean you have to agree with the law - that's a separate issue. If you disagree with the law, then by all means work to change it. But there are rules in place, and every driver should know the rules before he gets behind the wheel, and he will have to face the consequences of breaking those rules.
I agree with the law, I just think HPD's fines are exorbitant.
ReplyDeleteBTW, hadn't had a speeding ticket since high school. *knock on wood*
I agree with you Steve on not breaking the law, but we all make mistakes. Do you not speed at all, or are you just never caught? The amounts of these fines is ridiculous. When you go to the court house, alot of the folks in there are hard working Americans who can not afford the increased fines.
ReplyDelete