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Personal Narrative: Eric

Eric Snyder has had his license suspended since 2011 because of unpaid fines and fees. Without a license, he can't get a job to pay off this debt nor can he get on a payment plan.

Personal Narrative: Valencia

After three years of having her driver's license suspended, Valencia, a Florida resident, was only able to restore her driving privileges by paying more than a $1000 in reinstatement costs and to get on a payment plan.

Personal Narrative: Jean

Jean didn't know her license was suspended until an officer told her during a routine traffic stop. Her license was suspended for nonpayment of traffic tickets she received years prior. Just when she thought she had taken care of all of her court debt, her license was revoked and she faced additional issues after she relocated.

Proportionate Financial Sanctions: Policy Prescriptions for Judicial Reform

In this report, the Criminal Justice Policy Program (CJPP) at Harvard Law School proposes a framework where courts would impose means-adjusted fines as a proportionate sentence for an offense. The authors assert that by adopting the proposed recommendations, courts can ease or prevent the worst harms that excessive financial sanctions create for poor people without waiting for legislative reforms.
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