READ MORE Massive reduction in the jailing of fine defaulters welcomedThis stems from legal changes which gave judges a range of non-custodial options for fine defaulters, particularly the ability to pay fines by installment. The drop in fine committals resulted in a reduction in total prison committals of more than 50% since 2015. Provisional IPS data shows:Total prison committals fell from 17,206 in 2015 to 8,079 in 2018;Prison committals for non-payment of fines fell from 9,883 in 2015 to 455 in 2018. The IPS said that, despite the dramatic fall in fine committals, the actual number in custody on an average day has risen. It said that, excluding fines, committals have “increased”, from 6,660 in 2016, to 7,026 in 2017 and to 7,616 in 2018, up 14% over two years.

Source: Irish Examiner April 02, 2019 05:15 UTC