The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/tag/cash-register-justice/)
Americans owe nearly $136 billion in criminal debt—most of which is unrecoverable. Scholars and experts gathered at a Brookings forum Friday to discuss a new proposal for “graduated sanctions” that could remove the crushing burden from justice-involved individuals and their families.
Under a court order, San Francisco last August forgave $32 million in fines and fees for those involved in the criminal justice system, and eliminated all such costs going forward. Speakers at a John Jay College panel last week said other jurisdictions should take note.
Law enforcement-assisted diversion and addiction treatment programs are hailed as common-sense alternatives to incarceration for low-level offenses. But they can create a “treatment industry” that exploits low-income offenders, a conference at John Jay College was told.
Millions of Americans face a horrible choice between driving with a license that was suspended because of their failure to pay onerous penalties, and going to a doctor’s appointment, picking up a child from school—or going to work to pay their fine, a retired California judge said Thursday.
The movement to reduce court fines and fees, a practice that reformers say criminalizes poverty, is gaining traction across the country with bipartisan support, a conference at John Jay College was told Thursday. But many local governments continue to balk at giving up a practice that has turned into a key source of revenue.
“It’s important to understand how someone who has money is able to buy their way out of jail or prison, so you’re much better off in our justice system if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent,” said a panelist at the Cash Register Justice Conference at John Jay College Thursday.
Some 10 million Americans now hold criminal debt totaling over $50 billion, burdened by accumulating court fines and fees they are unable to pay. It’s a hidden practice that damages communities and ruins lives, but the federal government seems to be looking the other way, writes an FSU law professor.