Ability to Pay Archives - Page 36 of 40 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

When All Else Fails, Fining the Family: First Person Accounts of Criminal Justice Debt

Over the course of 2 months and 39 interviews, the authors of this report aimed to better understand how the punishment of prison and its collateral consequences (and fines and fees in particular) affect individuals’ financial situations and stability.

Gonzales v. City of Austin

Plaintiffs alleged that the City of Austin jails people who are unable to pay court fines and fees. There is no inquiry into their ability to pay, no appointment of counsel, and community service is not offered as an alternative.

Rodriguez v. Providence Community Corrections

Providence Community Corrections (PCC), a private for profit organization, was the manager of the misdemeanor probation system for Rutherford County, Tennessee. Those who could afford to pay the fees were placed on unsupervised probation, those who could not were supervised by PCC. PCC was funded solely by the people it supervised. Probationers were threatened with arrest and revocation of probation which would result in additional fees and court costs.

Kennedy v. City of Biloxi et al

This case alleged that the City of Biloxi operated a debtor’s prison, routinely jailing indigent people who could not afford to pay fines and fees imposed in traffic and misdemeanor cases.

Fuentes v. Benton County

This case challenged Benton County, Washington’s practice of incarcerating indigent defendants for failure to pay court fines and fees without any inquiry into their financial status or ability to pay.

Foster et al. v. City of Alexander City et al.

In Alexander City, municipal court defendants must pay their court fines and fees from traffic debt in full by the end of the court day, usually 3:00 p.m. Persons unable to pay are forced to sit out their time in city jail, at the rate of $20 per day until someone pays their debt.

Ability to Pay

When All Else Fails, Fining the Family: First Person Accounts of Criminal Justice Debt

Gonzales v. City of Austin

Rodriguez v. Providence Community Corrections

Kennedy v. City of Biloxi et al

Fuentes v. Benton County

Foster et al. v. City of Alexander City et al.

Cain et al. v. City of New Orleans et al.

Kneisser v. McInerney et al.

Taxing the Poor: Incarceration, Poverty Governance, and the Seizure of Family Resources

Reference Guide: Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs), Dispositional Orders