Towed Into Debt: How Towing Practices in California Punish Poor People
This report shows the circumstances that lead to a person having their car towed and the consequences that follow in different counties across California.
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A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States
To assess racial disparities in police interactions with the public, researchers compiled and analyzed a dataset detailing nearly 100 million municipal and state patrol traffic stops conducted in dozens of jurisdictions across the country.
Personal Narrative: Russell
During the early morning of January 2, 2019, Russell was pulled over for his headlight and the officer informed him that his license was suspended. Russell had no idea that his license was suspended and later found out that it was because he had unpaid tickets from 5 to 6 years ago.
Driver’s License Suspension in North Carolina: A Report Analyzing Data from 1986 – 2018
This research article highlights the prevalence of driver’s license suspensions in North Carolina due to unpaid fines and fees and failures to appear in court for traffic offenses.
Texas Senate Bill 1637: Fines, fees, and costs
This legislation makes several changes to Texas courts’ imposition and collection of fines and fees, with a particular emphasis on defendants’ ability to pay and alternatives to fines and fees for indigent defendants.
Texas House Bill 2048: Repeal of the Driver Responsibility Program.
This bill repeals the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) and all associated fees. The DRP contributed significantly to driver’s license suspension for unpaid fines and fees in Texas.
Personal Narrative: Rick
Rick Venable is currently homeless and sleeping in the woods in Jacksonville as a result of a spiral that started with driver's license suspension.
Personal Narrative: Matthew
Matthew Holland is a 32 year old African-American male living in Spring Hill, FL. His license has been suspended for seven years due to unpaid criminal court debt that he owes dating back to convictions as an 18-year-old in 2006.
Personal Narrative: Celeste
Celeste Sawyer is a single mother of five children living in Florida. Her driver’s license was suspended, because she accumulated $584 of traffic ticket debt.
Personal Narrative: Marlo
Knapp's license has been suspended since March of 2010 due to unpaid fines and fees that she owes in Escambia County totaling near $7,000 stemming from a mix of both traffic and criminal cases.