Bill Text: HI HCR195 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting The Office Of The Administrative Director Of The Courts Of The Hawaii State Judiciary To Collect, Compile, And Share Data On The Assessment Of Fees, Court Costs, Fines, And Restitution In Cases Against Minors.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-15 - Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 20 [HCR195 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2023-HCR195-Introduced.html
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
195 |
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
requesting the OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COURTS OF THE hawaii state judiciary to collect, COMPILE, AND SHARE data on the assessment of fees, court costs, fines, and restitution in cases AGAINST minors.
WHEREAS, research shows that charging fees, fines, costs, and restitution to youth is harmful to young people and their families; and
WHEREAS, in Hawaii, the consequences of such costs fall disproportionately on Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Black youth, who are more likely to be arrested, detained, and unable to afford fees, fines, costs, and restitution; and
WHEREAS, although state law authorizes courts to charge youth and their families a range of fees and fines, judges across the State rarely impose such costs in practice; and
WHEREAS, research shows that fees and fines serve no public safety function and may instead undermine public safety by increasing the likelihood of youth recidivism; and
WHEREAS, because youth cannot afford to pay restitution, crime survivors rarely see any compensation for harm they may have experienced; and
WHEREAS, jurisdictions in the majority of states that assess fees, costs, fines, and restitution to youth spend more money trying to collect those outstanding debts than they receive in revenue; and
WHEREAS, there is a growing consensus that fees and fines should not be assessed for mistakes made in a person's youth, regardless of the age or jurisdiction in which the person is adjudicated or sentenced; and
WHEREAS, several states throughout the country have prohibited the imposition of fees and fines and limited the impact of restitution on young people and their families; now, therefore,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this data is requested to include:
(1) The total and annual average amount of fees, court costs, fines, and restitution that are assessed, collected, waived, and outstanding in cases against minors for each of the last five years; and
(2) For the circuit, family, and district courts in each judicial district, a description of each fee, court cost, or fine that can be assessed in cases against minors, and their respective amounts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of the Administrative Director of the Courts is requested to submit a report of findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court and Administrative Director of the Courts.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Judiciary; Administrative Director of the Courts; Juvenile Justice; Fees; Fines; Court Costs; Restitution