‘Cruel and counterproductive’: N.Y. has to stop suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fees and fines (New York Daily News)
New York Daily News, January 1, 2018
‘Cruel and counterproductive’: N.Y. has to stop suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fees and fines (New York Daily News)
“As Cuomo and the Legislature dig into the issues crying out for action, they can undo a grave, grinding injustice by ending New York’s practice of suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fees and fines, most of which have nothing to do with driving. If you’re found guilty of a felony, New York hits you with a $300 mandatory surcharge. If you get a misdemeanor, the charge is $175. There’s also a $25 ‘crime victim assistance fee’ and a $50 ‘DNA databank fee’ imposed on anyone convicted of a crime or violation….The itemization is purely symbolic and highly misleading. All the money from these fees gets swept into the state’s general treasury, according to a study conducted by criminal justice committees of the New York City Bar Association. And thanks to a law passed in 1995, the fees are charged automatically, even when a defendant demonstrates they are too poor to pay. The fines cannot be waived and cannot be discharged in bankruptcy court.”
