Pant's not sagging!
- Thread starter djernie
- Start date
area651
Getting comfortable
This is going from memory in the mid 2000's. 2005 maybe? It's been a while but the idea of the numbers is correct at least. In short, things like this COST the taxpayer in the end and does it do anything?
Years ago, Myrtle Beach SC decided to implement a $100 fine for this. It cost the state so much to enforce it that it wasn't worth it. If you think about it, the police fines someone $100. And then the person doesn't pay. So now what does a govt do? Issue a bench warrant which takes up administrative time to do (which costs money), send someone to serve the warrant, make an arrest maybe, (more money spent to send ppl to do this) and then you try to get the $100 all the while you've got probably $500 in time (at least, 1 judge, legal clerks, secretaries, cops, etc) paid to employees for this to enforce it per case. So in the end, IF....and that's a big IF you ever do get any of the money....every ticket just cost the taxpayer $400. No money is made and do you really think that it will teach someone a lesson and will stop such behavior? Think of all the things that have higher fines and that doesn't stop people.
My numbers may be off but I distinctly remember a newspaper article explaining the economics of these fines. Don't get me wrong as I'm not an advocate of this style or behavior. I'm just saying look at the overall cost in the end. Not only does the cost outweigh the amount of the fine but I wonder how effective it is.
Years ago, Myrtle Beach SC decided to implement a $100 fine for this. It cost the state so much to enforce it that it wasn't worth it. If you think about it, the police fines someone $100. And then the person doesn't pay. So now what does a govt do? Issue a bench warrant which takes up administrative time to do (which costs money), send someone to serve the warrant, make an arrest maybe, (more money spent to send ppl to do this) and then you try to get the $100 all the while you've got probably $500 in time (at least, 1 judge, legal clerks, secretaries, cops, etc) paid to employees for this to enforce it per case. So in the end, IF....and that's a big IF you ever do get any of the money....every ticket just cost the taxpayer $400. No money is made and do you really think that it will teach someone a lesson and will stop such behavior? Think of all the things that have higher fines and that doesn't stop people.
My numbers may be off but I distinctly remember a newspaper article explaining the economics of these fines. Don't get me wrong as I'm not an advocate of this style or behavior. I'm just saying look at the overall cost in the end. Not only does the cost outweigh the amount of the fine but I wonder how effective it is.
I agree, and a lot them will just sit in jail until the fine is paid by doing time. And the fine is still not collected. And the idiots are still wearing them like that.
And the average daily cost of housing a prisoner runs from $177 per day (CA, 2015) to $41 per day (AL, 2015) as found here.
Not a giant leap to say that $100 fine that wasn't collected will cost the gov't. entity $100 for each day incarcerated, so it actually costs to enforce an uncollected fine, in this instance....crazy.
