People v. Goddard

OPINION OF THE COURT

Lorraine S. Miller, J.

This case poses the poignant problem that deeply troubles every member of the judiciary in the criminal justice system today: what to do with indigent defendants who fail to pay fines previously imposed by the court.

While this is but one aspect of the “crisis of the courts” commented upon by Chief Judge Lawrence Cooke in a recent address,1 the frequency of such cases nevertheless significantly contribute to the “beleaguered” condition of the “conventional forum for dispute resolution, the court.”

Defendant herein pleaded guilty to attempted criminal…