The Illinois General Assembly is considering an overhaul of criminal court fees. Defendants have been made to pay for an increasing array of programs in recent decades — from police training to prescription drug disposal. Democratic Representative Elaine Nekritz, from Northbrook, is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation to simplify and reduce the fees.“Can we make sure that there’s a straight line — connect the dots — between the nature of the crime and the nature of the fee.”
The legislation would also standardize fees across the state. Nekritz says today, neighboring counties can impose dramatically different fees for the same offense.
