Report Sheds Light On The Pattern Of Over-Policing That Led Cops To Pull Over Daunte Wright The criminal legal system “relies heavily on collecting money from the very people targeted by the system,” in the process incentivizing police to punish as many people as possible, the authors of the ACLU report write. Samantha Schuyler
New Orleans Judge Steered People to Wear Ankle Monitors From Company Run by Campaign Donors, Lawsuit Says Judge Paul Bonin improperly required people who appeared in his courtroom to purchase ankle monitors from a private company run by one of his former law partners, a lawsuit says. Ko Bragg
The Public Health Risks of Jailing People for Poverty In Hillsborough County, Florida, the jail population is bloated by cash bail, fines, and fees, perpetuating health inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan Ben-Menachem
High Cost Of Prison Diversion Programs Leaves ‘Too Many People’ Imprisoned in Alabama A survey of roughly 1,000 people found that 1 in 5 had been turned down for a diversion program because they couldn’t afford the costs of drug tests and monitoring devices. Lauren Gill
Florida Can’t Bar People From Voting Because of Inability to Pay, Appeals Court Says The court found that a law that critics described as a poll tax violates the Constitution. Kira Lerner
Michigan Task Force Calls On State To Significantly Reduce Mass Incarceration In County Jails A bipartisan group has recommended substantive changes to the state’s legal justice system, including cash bail reform and proposals to divert people living with mental illnesses away from incarceration. Dawn R. Wolfe
New York State Judges Are Jailing People Who Can’t Afford Their Fines State law must change to stop judges from using jail time to force the poor into paying penalties they can’t afford, says one advocacy group. Steven Yoder
Thousands of New Yorkers Face Arrest Each Year For Not Paying Fines and Fees, Report Finds The city comptroller, state lawmakers, and advocates call on the state to end its use of fines and fees in the legal system. Raven Rakia
Miami Officials: Most People Who Owe Fines and Fees Can Vote Lawyers and advocates in Miami-Dade County will roll out a new plan to counter the disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions. Kira Lerner, Daniel Nichanian
In Oklahoma, Private Companies Run Pretrial Services, Driving People Into Debt A company in Cleveland County exemplifies how for-profit legal services affect poor and vulnerable individuals. Kira Lerner
Instagram Photos Offer Glimpse Inside Notorious Georgia Jail The DeKalb County Jail, now at the center of protests, has a long history of problems and a legacy of housing people for unpaid fines. Raven Rakia
Iowa Moves Toward Expanding Voting Rights. But It May Require a ‘Modern Day Poll Tax.’ Lawmakers are debating whether to let people with felony convictions vote—but there could be a catch. Kira Lerner
Justice in America Episode 12: The Criminalization of Poverty Josie and Clint talk with Sara Totonchi, the Executive Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights. Josie Duffy Rice, Clint Smith
St. Louis County Is Profiting Off the ‘Muni Shuffle’ Long After Ferguson Protests A new proposal to abolish small police forces seeks to end the cycle of debt and incarceration. Teresa Mathew
How Alabama’s Fines and Fees System Preys On The Poor Terrance has been jailed repeatedly over court debt for fishing to feed his family. Maura Ewing
Pennsylvania Prosecutors Pursue Charges For People Who Fall Behind On Rent-To-Own Payments The state’s “theft of leased property” statute allows prosecutors to seek felony charges for Pennsylvanians who miss payments on rental items. Joshua Vaughn
In Pennsylvania, Defendants Pay A Fee Just To Plead Guilty The ‘plea fee’ stems from a state law passed in the 1980s and can cost nearly $200, depending on the county. Joshua Vaughn
New Orleans Court Ordered To Stop Funding Itself On The Backs Of The Poor The criminal court was funneling millions of dollars a year from poor communities. Bryce Covert
Philadelphia Courts are Running a Financial Scheme That Profits Off The Poor And padding city and state coffers with millions of dollars. Maura Ewing
Pretrial Detainees Are Being Billed For Their Stay in Jail In jurisdictions across the country, people incarcerated before they've ever been convicted of a crime are charged a daily fee just for sitting in jail—and several courts have ruled that the practice is legal. Steven Hale
The Only Winners In California’s Fines and Fees System Are Private Debt Collectors San Francisco just became the first city in the nation to stop charging court fines and fees, but the rest of the state has a long way to go. Teresa Mathew
