Court poor box pays out over €30,000

Clare’s court poor box has netted over €30,000 for charity organisations across the county, more than double the figure gathered last year.
The county’s district court judge, Patrick Durcan dispensed the proceeds of the district court poor box this week, which totalled €30,500, a dramatic increase on the €14,400 collected in 2011.
In 2010 the poor box took in just €10,000, while €13,050 was made in donations in 2009. In 2008 it netted €26,000 for local charities. A total of 27 charities have benefited from the court poor box this year, including a number that had not benefited previously.
St Vincent de Paul in Clare has received most from the allocation, with €8,000 going to two county branches. Ennis SVP received €5,000, while the Kilrush branch received €3,000.
The poor box is an option open to the court in dealing with minor crimes. In particular circumstances, the district court judge can offer a defendant who is a first time offender of a minor crime, the chance to give a donation to the poor box rather than imposing a fine.
This option means that while it serves as punishment for the crime, it does not necessarily result in a criminal conviction. In some instances a donation to the poor box is used in conjunction with the Probation of Offenders Act 1907.
Four charities received donations of €2,000: Bushy Park Treatment Centre; Cahercalla Hospice, Garda Síochána Benevolent Trust Fund and Solicitors Benevolent Fund. Eight were allocated €1,000 each: Rape Crisis Midwest (Ennis office), Breakthrough Cancer Research (Cork), Tipperary Limerick Clare for Cystic Fibrosis (TLC4CF), Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Foróige Youth Scariff, Poor Clare Sisters Ennis, ClareCare and The Samaritans. A further 13 donations of €500 went to: Glebe House Kilrush, Kilkee Marine Rescue Service, Regina House, Kilrush; AMEN, Aisling Group International, Killaloe/Ballina Community and Family resource Centre, Clare Crusaders, Clare Haven,Alzheimer’s Society Clare Branch, Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard, Killaloe/Ballina search and recovery, St Joseph’s Training Centre and Home Share Clare.