157 – days since the state budget bill became law containing a provision that makes it more difficult for judges to waive fees for indigent defendants (North Carolina General Assembly)
4 – days since the fee waiver provision went into effect (NCGA)
15 – days of notice courts must give government entities to offer an opportunity to object to any waiving of fines or fees (NCGA)
615 – number of entities the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) plans to mail a standard monthly letter to explaining that fees could be waived at any criminal hearing on the calendar – this means that many agencies benefit from court costs/have an interest in waivers (AOC)
$301.35 – the cost per month to mail those 615 letters at $0.49 per first class stamp (AOC)
0 – the number of counties that did not waive any court fines or fees in 2016
8 – percentage of criminal court costs, fees and fines that were waived in 2016 by judges in District and Superior Courts across the state (AOC)
54 – percentage of non-traffic criminal cases last year that the court found the defendant indigent and appointed them legal representation (Commission on Indigent Defense Services)
$173 – district court costs as of Aug. 1 (North Carolina Court System)
$198 – superior court costs as of Aug. 1 (North Carolina Court System)
$7.50 – how much of each of the above court costs goes toward law enforcement officers’ retirement and their insurance (North Carolina Court System)
$0.95 – how much of court costs goes toward the State Bar Legal Aid Account, which helps poor defendants (North Carolina Court System)
$146.55 – how much of the above district court costs is used as a revenue stream to the state’s General Fund (North Carolina Court System)
$41 – how much of district court costs were used for the state’s General Fund in 1995 – legislative changes over the years have caused the increase shown above (UNC School of Government)
$153.55 – how much of the above superior court costs is used as a revenue stream to the state’s General Fund (North Carolina Court System)
$48 – how much of superior court costs were used for the state’s General Fund in 1995 (UNC School of Government)
436,050 – number of North Carolinians as of Aug. 1 whose licenses are suspended because they owe the courts money (state Division of Motor Vehicles)
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