Jailing The Poor: Court Debt And Incarceration In RI
This policy brief describes how often people in Rhode Island are jailed for nonpayment of court fines and fees and barriers to repayment.
Ability to Pay
Court Debt and Related Incarceration in Rhode Island from 2005 through 2007
Rhode Island’s most frequent cause of incarceration is court debt, which not only causes inefficient use of state finances, but disrupts people’s lives. To determine the extent to which incarceration …
Sentencing for Dollars: The Financial Consequences of a Criminal Conviction
This working paper details the collateral consequences of fines and fees in New York and highlights how the conflicting goals of assessing fines and fees – punishment as well as the need for revenue – can threaten criminal justice system outcomes and disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
Thomas v. City of Gulfport
Harrison County Jail was a modern day debtors’ prison. Officers went to predominantly African American neighborhoods arbitrarily checking people to see if they had paid their court fines and fees.
Personal Narrative: Melissa Stephens
Melissa Stephens, a mother of three, was forced to move from Wichita, Kansas to Las Vegas, Nevada because of $8000 of traffic ticket debt.
Ohio Revised Code 2947.14: Hearing on ability to pay fine
This statute details the procedural protections owed to defendants in instances of nonpayment of fines and fees. It also establishes explicit limits for nonpayment incarceration.
Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure: Rule 26.11: Fines and restitution.
This rule guides Alabama courts' decision-making processes for ordering restitution and fines, including for failure to pay.
Bearden v. Georgia
In Bearden v. Georgia, the Supreme Court held that courts may only revoke probation and/or sentence the defendant to imprisonment if the defendant willfully refused to pay.