By Stacy Sellek, MSC Public
Information Office
Information. Structure.
Encouragement.
Those are the fundamental bricks
in the road Judge Derek Meinecke is building through the 44th District Court in
Royal Oak to help individuals who have lost their driver’s licenses navigate
their way back toward a better life. He
started a license restoral program more than three years ago to find a
different way of addressing driving offenses in court.
Why?
“I have always been concerned
about the lack of reliable public transportation in the metro Detroit area
because the reality is: many people don’t have a license,” he outlined. “Driver responsibility fees damaged the area
by creating a class of people who could never get their license; it created an
endless cycle and a real problem.”
He points out how this limits
access to certain kinds of jobs, which affects quality of life.
Judge Meinecke, who was elected
to the bench in 2012, says that courts haven’t always seen this as an important
issue, especially when compared to more serious crimes of theft or
violence.
“The courts don’t always see the
impact it has on the community,” he said.
Judge Meinecke also explains that the law prohibiting driving on a suspended license applies the same charge and punishment no matter the reason why a person’s license is suspended, be it for a drinking and driving or fleeing from police conviction or for simply not paying a traffic ticket on time. This “one size fits all approach” is something he believes needs to be changed.
So he set out to design a program for license restoral that would provide structure and guidelines to hold individuals accountable, while also providing them with guidance and encouragement to work toward clearing their licenses—all in the hopes of making a difference in the community.
“Then I can be part of the solution,” he shared.
To that end, Judge Meinecke has tried several different approaches toward developing a license restoral program, something he says he hasn’t seen locally. Sometimes he would delay a sentence—allowed under the law—to give an individual time to do the work needed to clear their license. He would also be sure to keep them informed at every step of the process. Then, when someone completes the process and obtains their license, Judge Meinecke significantly reduces their fines and costs.
“As a judge, I can’t advise them or be their lawyer. But I can—and courts should—inform them,” he remarked.
The court started tracking its
progress in license restoral in 2016, a while after the program began. Judge Meinecke reports that in 2017, the court
cleared 229 licenses—followed by 215 cleared in 2018 and 45 , so far, in 2019. He notes that they are now starting to track how long individuals are keeping their licenses
once restored.
“It takes a little bit of a leap
of faith from the court to do something like this,” Judge Meinecke remarked, “but why not take the
risk and give these individuals a chance rather than shutting them out?”
Judge Meinecke is passionate
about his efforts and optimistic about the future of the program, but he sees
more work ahead for the court.
“Once you accomplish goals, more
goals present themselves!” he laughed.
Some of his goals include reaching
out to more local courts to invite judges to come and
learn about this program. He has already visited 36th District Court in Detroit to talk
about license restoral, and would like to see a more regional, collective
approach from courts. In addition, he hopes to develop partnerships
with local prosecutors and law enforcement, and visit high schools across the region to educate teens on the importance
of getting their driver’s license.
Judge Meinecke is also teaming
up with Judge William Kelly, of 62B District Court in Kentwood, who has been
working for years on eliminating injustices in the area of driving offenses. They are trying to work with state legislators
to change the laws. “That is the next
frontier,” said Judge Meinecke. “Ensuring that punishments are right-sized and
appropriate.”
One important change that will
likely help in this effort is the new 2018 law that eliminates the driver
responsibility fee program that many, including Judge Meinecke, saw as being
prohibitive and problematic.
In the middle of this large undertaking of expanding the driver’s license restoral program, Judge Meinecke remembers that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
“I think two of the most important qualities for a judge to possess are patience and humility. Humility is maintaining that you don’t know everything, that the law is constantly changing, and that you might not have all the answers. That is how you make yourself a better judge—not just by putting on the robe,” he shared.
Judge Meinecke continued, “When people come into my court, I am only getting a snapshot of who they are. I need to meet them where they are at. I need to get at why they got in this situation, and that is where patience comes in. It helps you to see between the lines and see the whole story.”