For individuals with outstanding warrants for a failure to pay fines or traffic tickets, East Lansing's 54B District Court added a function which would allow an individual to resolve that issue online instead of before a judge.
"It was designed for customer service so folks didn't have to take time from work or school to come to court to contest a ticket," 54B District Court Administrator Denise McCrimmon said in an email. "Even If they use this system, they can still get a hearing if they are not happy with the result."
This is an addition to the online service added earlier this year by 54B District Court. Over the summer, Matterhorn by Court Innovations was added to help individuals deal with minor traffic violations. The added services were added on Oct. 13.
The program takes individuals through a series of qualifying questions to determine if they are eligible for the online resolution before the case is reviewed by court administrators and then the individual will be allowed to pay the fine without coming into court.
A defendant will later be informed via call or text that their warrant was resolved and closed.
Currently, the system will function to deal with "all traffic and criminal files with warrants for failure to pay fines and costs," McCrimmon said, although "parking will be added soon."
54B District Court judge Andrea Larkin said she was in favor of the service.
"The defendant does not have to be arrested, go to jail and then come to court to have his/her case resolved,” Larkin said. “The program is voluntary and defendants can still choose to come to court to turn themselves in and appear before a judge."
”The service can be accessed on 54B District Court's website under "Online Warrant Review."
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “New website function allows people with warrants in East Lansing to resolve them online ” on social media.
