Charities across Ireland benefited to a sum of over one million euro last year from the Courts Poor Box.
Figures being published this week show payments from the Court Poor Box have been made to hundreds of charities across every county.
Payments made range from small, one-off amounts, to sums of over €50,000.
Organisations dealing with addiction, poverty, homelessness, women's safety, medical services, hospice care and mental health have all benefitted from the dispersal of the fund.
The fund exists as a means of helping largely first-time offenders avoid a conviction for more minor, non-violent crimes.
Examples of charities which received payments
- Coolmine Therapeutic Community – €52,120
- Cork Simon – €47,150
- D15 Hospice Services – €15,065
- The Irish Red Cross – €29,350
- Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice – €13,005
- Merchant's Quay Project – €35,140
- Oasis Womens Project – €25,000
- Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital – €13,350
- Pieta House – €45,655
- St Vincent de Paul – €27,070
- Red Door Project – €22,100
Total payments to charities from the Poor Box in 2023: €1,052,853
2023 Poor Box Donations by Courts Service Office
2023 Poor Box Donations by Charity
Background and quotes on the operation of the Court Poor Box
A spokesman for the Courts Service described the Poor Box as being “predominantly used by the District Courts who deal with criminal offences of a less serious nature. The individual amounts can vary substantially depending on ability to pay, other penalties imposed, and the nature of the offences”.
“The option of paying into the Court Poor Box usually arises where the offence is minor in nature and would not attract a custodial sentence. Public order offences can be the most common offences for which the Poor Box option is given to defendants. These include breaches of the peace, intoxication, or disorderly conduct in a public place, threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place, or failing to comply with a direction from An Garda Síochána. It is at other times used for first-time, minor drug offences, and offences against property.
There are many reasons and instances why the Court Poor Box is used by judges of offences on the more minor side
