(AP) — A Louisiana city has agreed to waive fees for some low-income defendants in municipal cases who want to enter a probation program that leads to charges being dropped.
The agreement led to the recent dismissal of a federal lawsuit filed by criminal justice advocates in 2017 against officials of Gretna.
The city agreed to waive fees for people who cannot otherwise afford to enter its Deferred Prosecution Program.
In some cases, defendants will pay fees in monthly installments based on income.
The city also agreed to refund money to some who made payments to the program but were later dropped for failing to maintain payments.