Traffic Enforcement: Strategies Needed to Achieve Safety Goals
In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic enforcement by the King County Sheriff’s Office declined, but by mid 2020 returned to a higher level in jurisdictions with officers …
News
A Debt of Care: Commercial Bail and the Gendered Logic of Criminal Justice Predation
Commercial bail extracts millions of dollars from justice-involved individuals and their families every year, but little research exists on the inner working and operational processes of the bail industry. Associate …
475,106 Mistakes: When Tickets are Issued Under False Pretenses
In Chicago, many parking restrictions change according to space, time, and weather factors, resulting in the issuance of erroneous tickets. A review of nearly 3.6 million tickets, cross-examined with administrative …
50 State Survey: Probation and Parole Fees
A state-by-state look at the scope of probation and parole supervision fees, programming fees, and consequences for failure to pay.
Small Fines And Fees, Large Impacts: Ability-To-Pay Hearings
Excessive fines and fees on low-income people threaten our criminal justice system and violate the Constitution’s Due Process and Excessive Fines Clauses. The Fourteenth and Eighth amendment requires courts to …
Forcing People To Pay For Being Locked Up Remains Common
Across all 50 states, states and municipalities charge children and adults for their incarceration. Some states sue incarcerated individuals for the total cost of incarceration, often ranging from $10,000 to …
The Price Kids Pay: Schools and Police Punish Students with Costly Tickets for Minor Misbehavior
In 2015 Illinois legislators passed Senate Bill 100 prohibiting schools from fining students as a form of discipline. However, the law did not apply to police and schools have since …
Policing-for-Profit Undermines Public Safety. This Town Shows A Better Way
Relying on tickets to fund government is counterproductive to public safety and can erode trust between community and law enforcement while worsening long-standing economic inequalities when residents can’t afford to …
The Criminalization Of Poverty In Tennessee
14 percent of Tennessee’s population lives below the poverty line, and while communities faced unaffordable housing costs, unemployment, and inadequate public transportation, counties used public funds to expand jails. From …
North Carolina Court Appearance Project
In North Carolina, nonappearance for a court case can lead to driver’s license suspension, an order for arrest, and jail time. Nearly 250,000 court appearances are missed annually in North …