Court Services of Clinton
Services:
Mississippi law allows you to prepay certain traffic tickets prior to the court date. The back of your ticket has more information about doing so. You may pay those tickets in person, by money order, or by going to www.trafficpayment.com or call 1-800-844-1187.
Fines are due IN FULL on the day of sentencing. This will be either the day you plead guilty or the day you may be found guilty. Fines will include the amount assessed by the judge and all applicable state assessments. There is never a fine when you are found not guilty. Any fines not paid after 90 days will be turned over to collections and result in an increase of up to 50% of the amount owed.
All tickets and certain misdemeanor offenses will be reported immediately to the Department of Public Safety.
Checks are accepted on certain traffic violations ONLY. Otherwise payment must be made by cash, certified check (for the correct amount), money order (for the correct amount), or full payment at www.clintonmstix.com. Receipts will be issued upon payment.
Mississippi law allows the Court to send an offender to driving school under certain conditions to keep the offense off your driving record.
If you have not had a moving violation in the past three years you could be eligible to attend. This provides that the violation is not subject to public view and is allowed under the following conditions:
That you possess a valid driver license (commercial license holders are disqualified).
That you have had no conviction for a moving violation in this state or any other state within the last three (3) years.
That you pay the applicable fine.
That you pay an additional service fee of $10.
That your license is held in suspension for a minimum of 30 days if you are a juvenile (under 21); the maximum is 90 days. THERE IS NO EXCEPTION MADE. If the defendant obtains a duplicate license or has possession of another license while he is in suspension by the court, he could be charged with additional violations, including Contempt of Court which carries a penalty of up to $1000 fine and / or 6 months in jail. Contact is made with the MS Highway Patrol to ascertain that this has not occurred.
That you attend a four hour traffic safety violator course as pre-approved by the court.
The State of Mississippi requires the driver of a vehicle to have liability insurance. This insurance can be on the driver or on the vehicle being driven at the time of the ticket. Failure to provide such insurance results in a fine of $638. Proof of insurance that has been purchased after the ticket date but before the court date carries a fine of $238. Proof of insurance that was in effect at the time of the ticket will not be fined.
The first appearance in Municipal Court is called an arraignment. At this time you will be called upon to enter a plea (or answer) to the charge proferred against you.
You may plead guilty indicating that you admit you committed the offense and wish to waive your right to a trial; no contest indicating that you do not admit the charge but do NOT wish to contest the charge; or not guilty indicating to the court that you wish to contest the charge and are exercising your right to a trial.
Should you plead guilty or no contest, the case will proceed immediately to the sentencing phase.
You are still permitted to appeal your case to Hinds County Court should you so desire. Should you plead not guilty you will receive a trial date.
Arraignments are always on Wednesdays. Your ticket or bond will indicate the date of your arraignment. Failure to appear for arraignment will result in a warrant for your immediate arrest, and if a bond was posted, immediate notification to the bonding company.
Trials are held on either Wednesday or Thursday afternoons at 1:00 p.m., as assigned. In municipal courts in Mississippi, trials are by judge only (no jury).
You may be represented by an attorney authorized to practice in this state or you may represent yourself. If you wish to have an attorney represent you, and you cannot afford to hire your own attorney, you must advise the court of this fact at your arraignment. You will then be given information necessary to obtain a court-appointed attorney. Attorneys are appointed by the judge if the charge against you carries mandatory or anticipated jail time and you meet all other financial criteria. Otherwise you will be required to hire your own counsel. If you choose to represent yourself, you must conform to all rules of court including rules of evidence. No court may lessen this requirement simply because you are not legally trained.
In a trial you are also entitled to certain rights, including:
The right to a copy of the affadavit
The right to hear all testimony against you
The right to cross examine witnesses against you
The right to testify on your own behalf
The right to decline to testify without any inference drawn against you
The right to call witnesses on your own behalf. Should you need to subpoena witnesses, the clerk will do so if your provide a list of the witnesses and their addresses at least ten days prior to trial.
Should you fail to appear for trial, these rights are waived and the case may be tried without you. If you are found guilty, a warrant will be issued for your immediate arrest. If a bond was posted, the bondsman will be notified immediately.
If you are unsure of the location of the traffic charge or misdemeanor arrest, review your ticket or bond release information for the proper venue.
This court does not have jurisdiction of felony cases beyond the preliminary hearing, or juvenile criminal arrests but does have jurisdiction of juveniles charged with traffic offenses (including DUI), liquor law violations, tobacco violations, and those juveniles who have been certified as adults or previously arrested as an adult.
Mississippi law allows you to prepay certain traffic tickets prior to the court date. The back of your ticket has more information about doing so. You may pay those tickets in person, by money order, or by going to www.trafficpayment.com or call 1-800-844-1187.
Fines are due IN FULL on the day of sentencing. This will be either the day you plead guilty or the day you may be found guilty. Fines will include the amount assessed by the judge and all applicable state assessments. There is never a fine when you are found not guilty. Any fines not paid after 90 days will be turned over to collections and result in an increase of up to 50% of the amount owed.
All tickets and certain misdemeanor offenses will be reported immediately to the Department of Public Safety.
Checks are accepted on certain traffic violations ONLY. Otherwise payment must be made by cash, certified check (for the correct amount), money order (for the correct amount), or full payment at www.clintonmstix.com. Receipts will be issued upon payment.
Mississippi law allows the Court to send an offender to driving school under certain conditions to keep the offense off your driving record.
If you have not had a moving violation in the past three years you could be eligible to attend. This provides that the violation is not subject to public view and is allowed under the following conditions:
That you possess a valid driver license (commercial license holders are disqualified).
That you have had no conviction for a moving violation in this state or any other state within the last three (3) years.
That you pay the applicable fine.
That you pay an additional service fee of $10.
That your license is held in suspension for a minimum of 30 days if you are a juvenile (under 21); the maximum is 90 days. THERE IS NO EXCEPTION MADE. If the defendant obtains a duplicate license or has possession of another license while he is in suspension by the court, he could be charged with additional violations, including Contempt of Court which carries a penalty of up to $1000 fine and / or 6 months in jail. Contact is made with the MS Highway Patrol to ascertain that this has not occurred.
That you attend a four hour traffic safety violator course as pre-approved by the court.
The State of Mississippi requires the driver of a vehicle to have liability insurance. This insurance can be on the driver or on the vehicle being driven at the time of the ticket. Failure to provide such insurance results in a fine of $638. Proof of insurance that has been purchased after the ticket date but before the court date carries a fine of $238. Proof of insurance that was in effect at the time of the ticket will not be fined.
The first appearance in Municipal Court is called an arraignment. At this time you will be called upon to enter a plea (or answer) to the charge proferred against you.
You may plead guilty indicating that you admit you committed the offense and wish to waive your right to a trial; no contest indicating that you do not admit the charge but do NOT wish to contest the charge; or not guilty indicating to the court that you wish to contest the charge and are exercising your right to a trial.
Should you plead guilty or no contest, the case will proceed immediately to the sentencing phase.
You are still permitted to appeal your case to Hinds County Court should you so desire. Should you plead not guilty you will receive a trial date.
Arraignments are always on Wednesdays. Your ticket or bond will indicate the date of your arraignment. Failure to appear for arraignment will result in a warrant for your immediate arrest, and if a bond was posted, immediate notification to the bonding company.
Trials are held on either Wednesday or Thursday afternoons at 1:00 p.m., as assigned. In municipal courts in Mississippi, trials are by judge only (no jury).
You may be represented by an attorney authorized to practice in this state or you may represent yourself. If you wish to have an attorney represent you, and you cannot afford to hire your own attorney, you must advise the court of this fact at your arraignment. You will then be given information necessary to obtain a court-appointed attorney. Attorneys are appointed by the judge if the charge against you carries mandatory or anticipated jail time and you meet all other financial criteria. Otherwise you will be required to hire your own counsel. If you choose to represent yourself, you must conform to all rules of court including rules of evidence. No court may lessen this requirement simply because you are not legally trained.
In a trial you are also entitled to certain rights, including:
The right to a copy of the affadavit
The right to hear all testimony against you
The right to cross examine witnesses against you
The right to testify on your own behalf
The right to decline to testify without any inference drawn against you
The right to call witnesses on your own behalf. Should you need to subpoena witnesses, the clerk will do so if your provide a list of the witnesses and their addresses at least ten days prior to trial.
Should you fail to appear for trial, these rights are waived and the case may be tried without you. If you are found guilty, a warrant will be issued for your immediate arrest. If a bond was posted, the bondsman will be notified immediately.
If you are unsure of the location of the traffic charge or misdemeanor arrest, review your ticket or bond release information for the proper venue.
This court does not have jurisdiction of felony cases beyond the preliminary hearing, or juvenile criminal arrests but does have jurisdiction of juveniles charged with traffic offenses (including DUI), liquor law violations, tobacco violations, and those juveniles who have been certified as adults or previously arrested as an adult.
