Courts agree to standard fines

Nearly all of the 82 municipal courts in St. Louis County have agreed to a uniform standard for fines and court costs, addressing concerns that some courts in the region prey on the poor and minorities.

The agreement was announced by Frank Vatterott, chairman of the St. Louis County Municipal Courts Improvement Committee.

The committee formed after unrest in Ferguson that followed the fatal August shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police Officer Darren Wilson. Wilson has since resigned.

Vatterott says 80 of the 82 municipal courts adopted the uniform standards. Most of the courts in the county reduced fines to meet the new criteria.