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Started By
Message
Justice Department: States Should Not Jail Poor People Over Fine Nonpayment
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:21 am
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:21 am
LINK
quote:
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is discouraging state court systems from jailing defendants who fail to pay fines or fees, warning against practices that it says run afoul of the Constitution and erode community trust.
A letter being sent Monday by the federal government to state court administrators makes clear that judges should consider alternatives to jail for poor defendants who don't pay their fines. It also says defendants should not be locked up without a judge first establishing that a defendant who failed to pay did so willfully.
25
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:23 am to trom83
worked out so well not jailing illegal immigrants who commit murder so why not
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:24 am to trom83
this will be interesting
this could be the very mechanism that stalls local government expansion via policing/fining
this could be the very mechanism that stalls local government expansion via policing/fining
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:26 am to trom83
I'm fine with it.
No other debt gets you thrown in jail, I don't see why a debt from our incompetent government should be any different.
Just put it on the credit report like everything else.
No other debt gets you thrown in jail, I don't see why a debt from our incompetent government should be any different.
Just put it on the credit report like everything else.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:26 am to trom83
DOJ just wants to look like the good guys. I dont see this as a problem in LA courts. I have never seen anyone thrown in jail for the singular reason of inability to pay
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:26 am to CAD703X
Why not just withold public assistance? Jails are usually way more expensive than whatever fines they are being held over, plus the govt gets the money much faster.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:26 am to trom83
John Oliver actually had a good segment on this. A lot of municipalities go way overboard on slapping fines on people.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:26 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
this could be the very mechanism that stalls local government expansion via policing/fining
This
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:26 am to trom83
quote:
A letter being sent Monday by the federal government to state court administrators makes clear that judges should consider alternatives to jail for poor defendants who don't pay their fines. It also say
Wow. So don't have to go to jail or pay fines for breaking the law. Community service here we come. Woo hoo!!!
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:27 am to trom83
pussification of America going strong
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:28 am to trom83
This reminds me of the case in Jackson, MS. A judge will say, "Well, you have $10,000 in unpaid fines for your arrest, so you have two choices: you can go to jail, or you can work for the city for free." I see it happen all the time.
LINK
LINK
quote:
On Friday, Equal Justice Under Law, a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C., and the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law filed the lawsuit, which alleges the city operates an “illegal debt collection scheme” in violation of the 13th amendment.
quote:
In a system city prosecutors call “pay or stay,” those who are jailed either “sit out” their debts in Hinds County jail at $25 per day or “work off” their debts at $58 a day at the Hinds County Penal Farm, court records show. One plaintiff in the case spent more than six months working in the penal farm before he was released and placed on a payment plan.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:28 am to MSMHater
quote:iswydt
I'm fine with it.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:28 am to Rantavious
quote:
I have never seen anyone thrown in jail for the singular reason of inability to pay
i have
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:28 am to trom83
I am not sure how I feel on this topic but if we can't jail them then how in the world can you force them to pay it? And if they just don't want to pay at first but then the fines are so immense that they truly can't pay it, what do you do? You can't just say they will have a hold on their license either, because that doesn't stop people. I guess you could garnish from wages or tax returns but you will always have people cheating the system and living off the government.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:30 am to BigB0882
yeah but think of it this way
ignoring how these are typically just ways to pay for bloated court systems, extra police/duties, etc
if a person can't pay, the agency isn't going to get that money. how does the system make sense that now we have to spend countless thousands of dollars to jail that person. on top of that, many lose jobs, further eroding the economic benefit. it's a net loss
ignoring how these are typically just ways to pay for bloated court systems, extra police/duties, etc
if a person can't pay, the agency isn't going to get that money. how does the system make sense that now we have to spend countless thousands of dollars to jail that person. on top of that, many lose jobs, further eroding the economic benefit. it's a net loss
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:34 am to Who Me
Is jail for parking tickets a rational consequence? Does it serve a point, is the return greater than the cost (how much does it cost to jail someone)? I would rather public money not go to keeping jails filled on petty bullshite.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:35 am to trom83
This is good. Thats not what jail is for.
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:37 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
if a person can't pay, the agency isn't going to get that money. how does the system make sense that now we have to spend countless thousands of dollars to jail that person. on top of that, many lose jobs, further eroding the economic benefit. it's a net loss
Except for the for-profit prisons, right?
Posted on 3/14/16 at 10:41 am to SlowFlowPro
If you don't enforce fines, how are you going to collect fines?
If you don't collect fines, how do you pay for the indigent defenders board, victim assistance programs, etc?
What about paying jurors? Do we take away juror day pay? Can we have jurors pack their own sack lunch?
Where does the court receive this funding? Increased taxes?
If you don't collect fines, how do you pay for the indigent defenders board, victim assistance programs, etc?
What about paying jurors? Do we take away juror day pay? Can we have jurors pack their own sack lunch?
Where does the court receive this funding? Increased taxes?
This post was edited on 3/14/16 at 10:48 am
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