Court fine defaults behind overwhelming majority of prison committals

A total of 78 per cent of 3,411 female committals to prison in 2015 were a consequence of the non-payment of a court-ordered fine.

A smaller proportion, 52 per cent, of the 13,795 male committals to prison in 2015 were for the same reason.

When committals for the non-payment of a court-ordered fine are removed, then 92 per cent of people committed to prison in 2015 are male and 8 per cent are female.

The total number of committals to prison as a consequence of fines default in 2015 has increased by 10.1 per cent on the 2014 total.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said she expects the figures to fall following the implementation of the Fines Act 2014 earlier this year.

The Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 provides for the payment of fines over €100 by making instalments at local post offices, and empowers judges to make an Attachment Order before resorting to imprisonment.

Fines will be set at a level that takes into account the person’s financial circumstances, and a person who defaults will be brought back to court for the judge to consider making an Attachment Order, whereby deductions would be made directly from the person’s income.

If it is not appropriate to make an Attachment Order, the judge can make either a Recovery Order, where the fine is more than €500, or a Community Service Order.

Imprisonment will only apply where none of these options are appropriate or the person fails to comply with it.

Earlier this year, Ms Fitzgerald said: “I am confident that with the changes to the fines system that will flow from the implementation of the Act, the number of persons imprisoned for the non-payment of fines in the future will be greatly reduced.”