Delinquency Recovery Program raises $2 million for taxpayers and crime victims in the county

A sign with the seal of Bucks County in front of the county government building. Archive photo.

Efforts to collect amounts owed for Bucks County’s “forgotten” cases have benefited both taxpayers and crime victims since 2020.

Bucks County Clerk of Court Eileen Hartnett Albillar said Wednesday that the Delinquency Recovery Program (DRiP) has recovered $2 million since 2020.

The program “provides people who owe court costs, fines, fees and victim compensation in criminal cases a way to pay them in a dignified manner,” she said.

The clerk’s office has nearly $250 million in outstanding debts to taxpayers and crime victims, but most of that money will not be collected for a number of reasons, Hartnett Albillar said.

However, the program, which was launched under former Clerk of Court Brian Munroe, has been working to go through and collect old balances.

55 percent of the recovered money went to the district administration, 21 percent to victims of crime and 24 percent to the state.

“This is a significant return on investment for the DRiP program,” said Hartnett Albillar.

The office is seeking repayment of debts dating back 35 years and has offered a number of affordable payment plans, the clerk said.

In the past, it has been explained that many defendants are unable to pay court and victim compensation after convictions due to their precarious financial situation. These debts are passed on to debt collection agencies and eventually fall by the wayside if not repaid.

The DRiP initiative enables the court registry to contact debtors and settle debts.

Michael Paston, the row office’s first deputy, brought the DRiP program to Bucks County from his previous employer, Montgomery County, in 2020. The program has its roots in Westmoreland County.

Hartnett Albillar said the program has received a positive response and costs the county $55,983 each year in salaries and benefits.

Clerk of the Court Eileen Hartnett Albillar. Photo credit: Campaign photo

According to Hartnett Albillar, there has been positive feedback from both debtors and those owed money.

One defendant said the program enabled him to “fulfill his old court duties with dignity.”

The victim of a burglary 34 years ago said he received a check and “thought he had made a mistake” before realizing it was compensation for the burglary.

The program received support from the district courts, county commissioners, and the Bucks County Adult Probation and Release Department.

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