COURT FINANCIAL SERVICES

 

 

The mission of Court Financial Services is to collect, account for and disburse funds ordered by the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County. Court Financial Services, in conjunction with other court and county departments, employs proactive measures to maximize collections of all fines, costs and restitutions. This includes but is not limited to, funds from Adult Probation and Parole, Diagnostic Services, Children and Youth Services, Juvenile Court, Community Services and the prison.

The department collects the costs, fines, fees and restitution from individual defendants through monitoring payments made to the Court. These funds, when collected, are then disbursed to the County Treasurer, State and victims of crime. Court Financial Services is dedicated to the collection of these funds with all the powers of our Judicial System.

The department accepts payments by cash, money order, check and credit / debit cards. In addition, payroll deductions are used when appropriate. Also, civil judgments are used to collect money from defendants who have the ability to pay but are unwilling to accept responsibility for their actions. As of 1995, cases dating back to February 1991 have judgments filed against them, which will remain on an individual’s record until satisfied. This has given the Court added leverage in collection since defendants will be unable to obtain future credit, buy a home or make a large purchase.

CFS is utilizing the Public Welfare Act of 1996 in an attempt to collect money from accounts which have traditionally been uncollectible. All clients who wish to receive public assistance must be on a payment plan with this office. This program has been highly successful.

Despite all of these measures there are some instances where the defendant does not have the ability to pay. This may be due to incarceration, lack of employment or disability. When this results and when it is appropriate, the Court has developed a Community Service program so that Court ordered defendants can perform work that benefits the taxpayers of Delaware County in return for a reduction in their costs.

The staff of CFS is effectively and selectively cross-trained. However, the staff specializes in specific job functions to maximize collections. There is a restitution liaison person who coordinates efforts with the District Attorney’s Office and Adult Probation and Parole. Also, two employees are responsible for remitting restitution checks which are mailed to victims. A department employee is responsible for receiving and recording Children and Youth Services and Juvenile maintenance payments. Court Financial Services has several employees who handle collection of Adult cases, since this is the largest bulk of the money collected through this department.