Miles v. Craighead County
Issue: Whether costs and fees collected in amounts greater than what is permitted by law constitutes an illegal exaction. Holding: Yes, charging costs and fees not permitted by law …
Why We Need to Stop Suspending and Revoking Driver’s Licenses Due to Debt
The Prosperity Now Scorecard rates states on their progress toward racial economic justice in several policy areas. The 2022 policy update includes an assessment of which states have ended the …
AR SB513
The Arkansas legislature passed a bill eliminating driver’s license suspension for failure to pay fines in noncriminal traffic infractions. The bill permits driver’s license suspension for failure to appear at a hearing to …
SB 190: To Remove a Driver’s License Suspension or Revocation as an Available Penalty for Offenses not Related to Driving a Motor Vehicle
This bill prohibits a circuit or district court from suspending a driver’s license solely for nonpayment of a fine or fee, or for failure to appear in court. You can …
Examining the Intersection Between Criminal Justice and Financial Services in the Deep South
The text discusses the financial burdens and barriers to financial stability faced by people after they are released from prison.
Can’t Win For Losing – How Institutions and Policies Keep Arkansans in Debt
This report presents the findings from an Arkansas Community Institute survey concerning the household debt of Pulaski and Jefferson county residents.
Too Poor to Pay: How Arkansas’s Offender-Funded Justice System Drives Poverty & Mass Incarceration
This report identifies several promising issue areas for fines and fees reform in Arkansas, including nonpayment incarceration, driver’s license suspension for unpaid fines and fees, and probation fees. The authors interviewed 205 people who were charged and/or incarcerated over inability to pay fines and fees; performed court-watching in 8 counties; sent almost 300 records requests; and interviewed Arkansas criminal justice and social service stakeholders.
Personal Narrative: Chris S.
Chris S.’s driver’s license was suspended five times for failure to pay fines. He never received prior notice that his license was being suspended. He never had an opportunity to explain why it should not be suspended.
Personal Narrative: Kimberly S.
: Kimberly S. is a mother of three who battled to overcome drug addiction. She has been convicted of failure to pay 10 times in the last four years, each time incurring $450 to $670 in additional debt, and sentences of as much as 30 days in jail.
Criminal Justice Debt in the South: A Primer for the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt
Criminal justice debt places a h eavy burden on low-income families, often making it harder for those who owe to earn a living, trapping them and their families in poverty. …