How did that happen? On September 30, 2014, the Philadelphia courts issued an official order stating they will no longer collect money owed for any bail judgments issued before March 4, 2010 for missed court dates.
Can I stop paying on my bail judgments? Yes, you should stop paying if they were issued before March 4, 2010.
How do I know if I have bail judgments? You can learn what you owe by going to the basement of the Criminal Justice Center for a print-out, called a Participant Accounting Report.
How do I know if my bail judgments are from before March 4, 2010? If your case was decided before 2010, then your bail judgment is from before 2010. If you were arrested after March 4, 2010, your bail judgment is from after 2010. If you aren’t sure, you can go to the 3rd floor of the CJC, and they can help you.
Will the bail judgments still show up in my records as a debt that I owe? They may, for now. The courts are working to remove the bail judgments from the official records. We do not know how long this will take.
What if a bail judgment was affecting my expungement or stopping me from applying for a pardon? Bail judgments issued prior to March 4, 2010 should no longer affect expungements or pardons, based on the information we have at the moment. Contact Community Legal Services (CLS) if your bail judgment was affecting an expungement or pardon.
What if I failed to appear more recently and the bail judgment was issued after March 3, 2010? This order does not affect any bail judgments issued after March 3, 2010. You may wish to file a petition to vacate or reduce these newer bail judgments.
What about other court fines and costs, supervision fees, and restitution? The Order only applies to old bail judgments. You must continue to pay off other debts that you owe to the courts.
