Counties Sending Check Bouncers to School

By Caroline E. Mayer, Washington Post

Prosecutors in some Maryland and Virginia counties have adopted a potent tactic to discourage check-bouncing: threatening writers with prosecution if they don’t attend “bad check school” run by private contractors.

It is a way for the counties to make money — they get a portion of the fees the companies charge people who attend the courses — and law enforcement officials say the practice saves resources for fighting more serious wrongdoing.

But critics say the private companies violate the law when they send out letters warning check bouncers to attend classes or face prosecution. The critics add that in most states, it is not a crime to write a returned check unless there is intent to defraud. And federal law bars debt collectors from making false threats.

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