Nearly €1 million was paid into poor boxes in courts around the country last year.
Drug and alcohol treatment centres, charities and men's shed groups, were among those to benefit.
Under the poor box system, a judge can ask a defendant to pay money to charity in order to avoid a conviction for a minor offence.
New figures, released by the Courts Service, show over €997,000 was paid into these boxes last year.
It's down €600,000 from the previous year.
Roscommon solicitor Séan Mahon says the poor box system is useful.
"It is a discretionary power that the judges have to avoid convictions, most likely for the likes of a young person who may be up in court for the first time - be it for possession of a drug or it could be for some other minor offence, whether it is drink or otherwise," he said.
"If there was a conviction recorded against them, it could seriously impact their employment prospects in the future."
€177,000 was donated to court poor boxes in the Criminal Courts of Justice last year, followed by €102,000 in Blanchardstown in Dublin, and nearly €86,000 in courts in Cork.
Other areas with high amounts last year were €80,000 in Dundalk, Co Louth, and €77,000 in Swords in Co Dublin.
