Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk he would stop
prosecuting a large swath of driver's license violations effective
immediately, a new policy that could divert 12,000 charges out of
Nashville courtrooms over the next year, reported the Tennessean.
Funk called the move, part of an agreement with the
sheriff's office, a "win-win-win." He said it would save
the city money while lightening the workload for judges, court staffers and
prosecutors.
It also promises to keep thousands of people out of the
criminal justice system and away from what Funk called "the collateral
consequences" of a criminal charge. Instead, they will be routed
through Steering Clear, a sheriff's office program that helps people
get their licenses reinstated.
If the program functions as intended, proponents say it
would mean fewer people driving illegally on Nashville streets.
In the past, someone who came to court with a misdemeanor
charge like driving on a suspended license would need to be booked
and fingerprinted. They would have a mug shot taken and appear before a
judge, accruing a round of court fees and fines on top of the costs of
replacing their licenses.
Often, offenders are unable to pay, so they continue driving
illegally, racking up a pile of menial driving violations and corresponding
fees that make progress even less likely.
"It's a vicious cycle. It keeps going and going and
going," said Maria Toro, the Steering Clear program manager. "We're
trying to stop that right at the beginning."
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