More than 10,000 people with outstanding fines in Topeka’s Municipal Court and at least 3,000 outstanding arrest warrants for missing court dates, indicates a problem that needs to be addressed.
It appears, too many people wrongly think either:
•Municipal Court isn’t to be taken seriously, or
•Showing up at court, without the means to pay fines, results in automatic jail time.
Both are wrong assumptions the City’s Department of Neighborhood Relations and the Topeka Municipal Courts hope to address through an education campaign. As part of that campaign, Topeka Administrative Judge Jason Geier is taking his message to the people. In his workshops, Geier explains how the court process works, options for paying fines if you don’t have the money right away, options for getting your record wiped clean, and the negative consequences of not showing up for court.
If you want to learn more, plan on attending one of the following workshops from 6 – 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 14, Central Park Community Center.
Sept. 15, Garfield Community Center, and
Sept. 22, Oakland Community Center.