Traffic: Online Traffic Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay

The Pilot Program for Online Adjudication of Infraction Violations allows qualified California litigants to request reductions in traffic infraction fines and fees in 8 pilot courts, remotely. This report provides a summary of the project’s second year implementation activities and data about the litigants making requests using the software and the resulting reductions. Since its launch up to Nov. 1, 2020, a total of 10,935 ability-to-pay requests have been submitted by 6,865 litigants across five pilot courts, resulting in more than $2.8 million in reduced fines and fees.

Key Findings:

• From April 2019 through November 1, 2020, a total of 10,935 requests were submitted by 6,865 litigants across 5 counties.
• Of the 6,865 individuals who submitted the requests, over half (50.7 percent) reported that they receive public benefits and 86.5 percent reported incomes below the poverty line.  
• MyCitations system’s calculator offers an initial recommendation for all requests, but judicial officials retain the discretion to accept it or make adjustments based on the facts of the case. Judicial officers accepted the recommendation 61 percent of the time. 
• Of the 10,935 requests received by the pilot courts, the total amount of fines and fees initially owed was $7,531,329 and averaged $689 per request. Over three-quarters of these requests were approved by the courts for a reduction. After review by the courts, the new total fine amount owed across all requests was $4,728,262 and averaged $347 per each approved request, totaling $2,803,067 in reduced fines and fees.

You can read the full report here.