Legislature to consider whether Delaware's court fines system needs overhaul

Delaware House lawmakers will vote next month on a bill that could begin scaling back punishments for those who can’t afford to pay court fines.

State Rep. Sean Lynn’s legislation tackles Delaware’s criminal fines from multiple angles, eliminating some court fines outright and allowing judges to waive any fine at any time.

One target is the public defender fee, which Office of Defense Services legislative and communications director Jon Offredo says does not actually pay for public defenders. "We don’t want to see the money either, because if people can’t afford an attorney, they can’t afford an attorney," he said.

Offredo added that the attorney fee "sets the wrong tone" by giving low-income clients the impression that public defenders charge for their services.

Read more: https://www.delawarepublic.org/politics-government/2022-04-26/legislature-to-consider-whether-delawares-court-fines-system-needs-overhaul