• One man has been in a residential drug rehabilitation program for the past few weeks following his arrest and convistion for DUI.  He was released over the weekend.  Last week, anticipating his release, he called the jail to check on the status of any outstanding warrants for unpaid fines.  He was advised to come in and make arrangements.  We he arrived at the jail, they arrested him.
• Another man went through the same residential treatment program last year.  He recently celebrated a year clean and sober.  In this bad economy, he was unable to find a job for months.  He has successfully completed everything the court has asked him to do— except pay the fines.  He finally found a job two weeks ago and received his first paycheck yesterday.  Today he was arrested— at work.

Clearly these men have a responsibility to pay their fines.  However, it is equally clear that they can't do so while they're sitting in jail.  No doubt the judge will make arrangements for them to make payments (or else).

But here's the irony: Compare the 17 arrests in the day with the 2008 average of 4.5 (adult) arrests per day.  They've arrested more people than the court can process.  Sources close to the men involved tell me that neither of them will go before a judge until at least tomorrow, perhaps the day after.  And if they don't get in on Thursday, they may have to wait until Monday.  Will the second man still have his job when he finally gets out?