The JRAC website states that this committee “… is designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Buncombe County criminal justice system — thereby maximizing public safety and increasing community wellness.” Spending just thirty minutes watching the video recording of their June 3 meeting led me to believe that their real purpose is to find ways to reduce or eliminate the consequences of bad decisions.
The recording picks the meeting up in progress (rather than at the beginning) with a presentation on how local government can save addicts. First Tuesday is not opposed to spending opioid lawsuit settlement funds on drug treatment rehab – that’s precisely where it should be spent.
Skipping ahead to timestamp 22:00 on the video takes you to a discussion of how fines and fees appear to “criminalize poverty” and how there is a vital “equity” component to be considered. Ed Treat of Pisgah Legal Services talked about how difficult it is for him to help people who have lost their driver’s license due to non-payment of fines or fees for traffic tickets issued to an individual in several counties or states. Sometimes these clients don’t even know why their license has been revoked.
Treat also complained that there aren’t enough free lawyers in WNC to meet the incredible demand for this specific service, which he said is estimated to impact 1 out of 7 drivers. He then praised our District Attorney, Todd Williams, for making it “almost too easy” to resolve these issues in Buncombe County. But then poor Ed must fight another one of that person’s tickets in Henderson County. And then another in South Carolina. And then…. What’s a poor lawbreaker to do?
Mayor Esther is also a representative on this council. She commented on how
difficult it must be for a person to navigate this “crazy system” to have their driver’s license restored. Here’s an idea: tell them to pay the fine or (better yet) obey the laws they have been fined for breaking.
The mayor was interested in “mass forgiveness” for some of these fines and fees. Mecklenburg County, Wake County and Chapel Hill have taken this step. The District Attorney has that ability – it does not require any ordinance or proclamation to be issued by local leaders.
Well, that would undoubtedly satisfy one of this Council’s objectives (enhance the efficiency of the Buncombe County criminal justice system). But how does it address the council’s objective to “maximize public safety”? Nevertheless, don’t be surprised if we hear an announcement from the DA’s office granting mass forgiveness for punitive fines and fees in the future.
The JRAC meets the first Friday of February, April, June, August, October, and December at 12:30 pm at 200 College Street (Ground Floor) unless otherwise announced.
Public comment is permitted at the end of the meeting for the standard 3-minutes per person time limit.
