As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price
10 years, 10 months ago

As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price

NPR  

As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Beemsterboer/NPR Nicole Beemsterboer/NPR In Augusta, Ga., a judge sentenced Tom Barrett to 12 months after he stole a can of beer worth less than $2. Other examples included people who didn't pay court costs and lost their driver's license, but they kept driving — to get to work, to get kids to school — until they were caught, went to jail and were assessed thousands of dollars in more fines and fees. Sponsor Message This month, the governor of Colorado signed a law that tells judges they can't send people to jail simply because they're too poor to pay fines and fees. Benton County District Court Judge Robert Ingvalson defends the county's heavy use of fines and fees — and jail time for those who don't pay. In 1983, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bearden v. Georgia that people can't be sent to jail simply for being too poor to pay fines and fees.

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History of this topic

Gov. Whitmer extends law putting court costs on defendants
2 years, 5 months ago

Gov. Whitmer extends law putting court costs on defendants

Associated Press  

Gretchen Whitmer signed another extension of a law that makes people convicted of crimes, typically with low incomes, responsible for a portion of local court expenses. The law, which raises millions of dollars for local governments, doesn’t apply to others who use Michigan’s court system. Co-director Lisa Foster said Michigan stands out because judges who preside over a criminal case …

State’s top court looks at law that makes convicts pay bills
3 years, 5 months ago

State’s top court looks at law that makes convicts pay bills

Associated Press  

DETROIT — The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to look again at a law that allows communities to collect millions of dollars from poor criminal defendants to pay salaries, keep lights on and wax floors in courthouses up and down the state. The court especially wants to hear whether the law “deprives criminal defendants of their right to appear before …

Federal Judge Rules Against Imprisoning Those Who Can't Pay Court Fees
6 years, 7 months ago

Federal Judge Rules Against Imprisoning Those Who Can't Pay Court Fees

NPR  

Federal Judge Rules Against Imprisoning Those Who Can't Pay Court Fees A federal judge in New Orleans ruled on Friday that it is unconstitutional to jail people who fail to pay court-ordered fines and fees associated with their convictions without giving them a chance to plead poverty in a "neutral forum." U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance rebuked Orleans Parish Criminal …

Justice Department launches effort to help make sure fines are fair
9 years ago

Justice Department launches effort to help make sure fines are fair

LA Times  

The Justice Department on Monday pledged $2.5 million to help state judges and court administrators ensure their systems for levying fines and fees do not violate the rights of poor defendants. The money, along with a separate letter offering advice on how to more fairly levy fines and fees, comes a year after the department concluded that the municipal court …

Poor offenders pay high price when probation turns on profit
9 years ago

Poor offenders pay high price when probation turns on profit

Associated Press  

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — Outside the $200-a-week motel room that Steven Gibbs and his family call home, the afternoon sun sparkled. “The unfortunate part of our judicial system is once you get caught up in it, it’s like a rat wheel you can never get out of because of some of the fines and the probation.” Gibbs, whose disability check and …

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