Office collects over $400,000 in restitution, court costs

Lorain County Clerk of Court Tom Orlando announced March 13 in a news release that his team has to date collected over $400,000 from an inmate collections program.

Shortly after taking office in 2015, Orlando searched for ways to increase collections of delinquent restitution, court costs, fines and fees from convicted criminals, the release said.

“By implementing procedures established by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC), incarcerated inmates are subject to garnishments of outstanding courtordered financial obligations through their commissary accounts,” Orlando said in the release. “Procedural safeguards in place protect an inmate's account from garnishment if their commissary funds are under the $25.00 (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections) minimum threshold.”

In an effort to provide flexibility, Orlando created an inmate commissary collections avoidance plan, according to the release. This plan allows families or loved ones of inmates to assume payments for restitution, fines, fees and court costs on the inmate's behalf, thereby relieving the inmate's commissary account from garnishment, the release said.

“Since this program was the first of its kind in Lorain

County, many were skeptical of its success but that didn't deter us from doing what we felt was part of our duty,” Orlando said.

After launching the program, Orlando's office received expressions of gratitude from victims who began receiving restitution, some after many years with no payments, Orlando said.

“I feel that collecting over $400,000 in outstanding restitution, court costs, fees and fines is a validation of my office's efforts,” he said. “We will continue to do so for the benefit of Lorain County taxpayers and victims of crime.”

“Since this program was the first of its kind in Lorain County, many were skeptical...”