Organisations dealing with addiction, poverty, homelessness, women’s safety, medical services, hospice care and mental health benefitted from a total of €1,052,853 paid out in 2023, with payments ranging from small one-off amounts to sums of over €50,000.

Although successive governments have promised to phase-out the system, the poor box allows largely first-time offenders, typically in the District Court, to avoid a conviction for minor non-violent crimes by making a donation.

A spokesperson for the Courts Service said: “The option of paying into the court poor box usually arises where the offence is minor in nature and would not attract a custodial sentence.

“Public order offences can be the most common offences for which the poor box option is given to defendants. These include breaches of the peace, intoxication, or disorderly conduct in a public place, threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place, or failing to comply with a direction from An Garda Síochána.

“It is at other times used for first-time, minor drug offences, and offences against property.”

They continued: “There are many reasons and instances why the court poor box is used by judges of offences on the more minor side of the scale.

“The accused may never previously have been before the courts, the accused may have pleaded guilty, a conviction might be inappropriate, or might adversely affect employment, career or working abroad prospects, and/or the offence may be of a minor or less serious nature.

“When combined with the Probation of Offenders Act it provides an option where the person is held accountable in public court, some financial penalty is considered merited, but a conviction and fine are not. It can sometimes be a more meaningful punishment than the maximum fine where the value of a maximum fine may have been eroded by inflation.”