Clark Community College

Amnesty on misdemeanor warrants unclogs courts in St. Louis area

KIRKWOOD • The beat of loud music created a festive atmosphere as the line outside the gymnasium grew. The attendees stood in the hot sun, some with kids in tow, waiting for their turn to pick up a green or white slip of paper — court vouchers that have been billed as their second chance at a productive life.

But first, they paid $10 to Better Family Life, the community organization running the event. Then they filed by the table filled with course catalogues and enrollment guides for St. Louis Community College, the educational sponsor. Each was handed a plastic bag filled with information from Molina Healthcare, the sponsor.

Finally, they took seats inside the gymnasium at the college's Meramec campus here, where they listened to a 15-minute presentation on Better Family Life, its mission and the value of a good education.

Saturday's event was "Family Week 2011," and those in line were among the tens of thousands of small-time fugitives who are clogging up the dockets of the region's municipal courts by failing to appear and answer to their misdemeanor charges.

Bench warrants have been issued for each of these court-dodgers, meaning they theoretically could be arrested and forced to pay several hundred dollars for bail. The vouchers the people waited for — green for St. Louis County and white for the city — would erase those fugitive warrants and set a new court date for a reduced $100 bail.

They still must answer to the original charges.

"I've got a 4-year-old daughter I've got custody of. It's just me," said Ed Marks, of south St. Louis, one of more than 50 people who waited in this line. "Any opportunity to get this taken care of, I'll take it. This is an opportunity where they are working with us."

BACKLOG OF WARRANTS

The amnesty event, one of three held this month by Better Family Life, with another planned for Saturday, highlights an unspoken reality here and across the country, where similar forgiveness programs are growing in popularity.

Cash-strapped police departments, forced to focus on major crimes, won't go after many of these misdemeanor warrants unless they are picking a person up on a subsequent offense. As a result, the bench warrants languish, crowding the courts and haunting the offenders in other ways — when they go to get a job, join the military or enroll in college.

"These small infractions can become a major obstacle," said James Clark, Better Family Life's vice president of community outreach. "These people find themselves literally locked out of society.

Lewis and Clark Community College Offered Free Dental Services ...

Lewis and Clark Community College will offer free dental services: exams, dental cleanings, X-rays, fluoride, sealants and school physical exams for children ages 3-16 at the third annual Clean and Screen event.

These services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis to children of families who cannot afford them. The times are 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, in the Paul B. Hanks Dental Clinic and River Bend Arena 5800 Godfrey Road, on the campus in Godfrey.

More: http://www.stltoday.

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