So-called surprise convictions from paying a fine to be eliminated by Florida judicial circuit
An unusual practice that allows individuals to be convicted of misdemeanors and wind up with a criminal record by paying a fine listed on a document that looks much like a traffic ticket is coming to an end in central Florida.
After more than 30 years, the state’s Ninth Judicial Circuit Court is calling a halt to the practice, the chief judge says, after questions were raised by the Associated Press.
“We don’t want to trick someone into entering a plea for a crime,” chief judge Frederick Lauten told the AP.
Law professors said they had never heard of other jurisdictions that take this approach and permit convictions without an opportunity for a hearing and legal representation, the article says. While it’s not unusual for drug and alcohol cases to be handed with citations that allow resolution by paying a fine, that ordinarily does not result in a criminal record for the individual.
