Though we’re convinced that calls for restorative justice often mean “though we committed the crime, we don’t want to do the time,” we are sympathetic to calls for rescission of the county’s recent adoption of a court-ordered victim services fee.
The recipients of the $45 fee, the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults and the Children’s Advocacy Center, are both wonderful nonprofit organizations, do stellar work with victims of various types of abuse and could use the money. But the chances of them seeing most or all of those fees are not good.
We have heard Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean and his predecessor, Gwen Tidwell, talk about the inability to collect money owed by those who are convicted of a crime and subsequently fined. Even so, we’re not advocating judges stop fining convicted criminals.
Let’s face it. Especially if we’re talking about abuse cases, there’s not enough money in fines that could compensate for the abuse of spouses and children.
But at what level do you stop trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip?