Starting Oct. 1, people with a Class C misdemeanor in the City of Lubbock can resolve citations, warrants and unpaid traffic tickets without being arrested.
The October Case Resolution Campaign from Lubbock Municipal Court will offer walk-ins without an appointment from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1 through Oct. 16.
This program is not just for Lubbock residents; anyone with an outstanding case with Lubbock Municipal Court. Additionally, Spanish-speaking interpreters will be available during the campaign according to the court.
The founder of the program, Judge Jorge Hernandez, said that the court wants people with outstanding cases to come voluntarily and discuss their circumstances with a judge.
“I don't mind giving you a second chance; I don't mind helping you, but help me to help you. I can't help you if you don't come before the court, tell me your situation,” said Judge Hernandez.
Lubbock Municipal Court has a safe harbor policy in place.
“If you show up in court and you have warrants from Lubbock Municipal Court, you will not get arrested on those,” Hernandez said.
Those who have failure-to-appear charges related to their case will have them waived immediately when they appear during the campaign, according to the court.
Hernandez said the court also wants to work with people who cannot afford to pay their fines and court costs using payment plans, community service, and applying jail time as credit. People who participate must bring a real ID and if applicable, their jail card.
“I've got people paying as little as $20 a month as long as they make their payment every month by the due date; we'll continue to work with them,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said the court does not want payment plans to interfere with paying their basic needs.
“I don't want to set them up for failure, you know, I don't want to take their rent money, I don't want to take their money to buy groceries. I don't want to take their money to pay utilities,” said Hernandez.
For people who cannot pay due to unemployment, disability, homelessness, or indigent status, Hernandez explained that the court can also waive some or all fines in certain circumstances.
Hernandez said the program's goal is to hold people accountable while considering their individual circumstances.
“Municipal court is not here to try to harm or hurt people or send people to jail,” Hernandez explained. “Municipal court is not here just to collect money.”
People who want to complete payment plans or community service must speak with a judge. Those who do not need to speak with a judge can go directly to the court window to resolve their cases.
Hernandez said this program is also helpful for people planning on applying for jobs or renewing their driver’s license.
“An important thing of taking care of their citations is that if there's a warrant for a person, that person will not be able to renew their driver's license or get an ID,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez said the court will measure the campaign's success based on how many people respond to the opportunity to resolve their cases without an additional summons.
“If we can get 40 to 50% of the people that we summon, I would be really happy with that,” said Hernandez.
The campaign runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 16, Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lubbock Municipal Court is located at 1214 14th Street. The court can be reached at 806-775-2473 for more information.