Sentencing Law and Policy: Fines, Restitution and Other Economic Sanctions typepad.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from typepad.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Reckless Lawmaking: How Debt-Based Driver s License Suspension Laws Impose Harm and Waste Resources
The title of this post is the title of this new ACLU research report. Here is the start of its executive summary:
There is a growing movement by advocates, organizers, and lawmakers to address the ineffective and unfair system and collection of court ordered monetary obligations, or “fines and fees.” The system of fines and fees is inextricably linked to over-policing, criminalization, and mass incarceration. While it is nearly impossible to know the exact number of people charged with fines and fees on an annual basis due in part to a lack of standardized data collection policies, a recent study estimated there could be well over 30 million cases for misdemeanors, violations, and infractions punishable by fines and fees filed per year. That number does not even include civil traffic offenses. The punishment for such offenses may include hundreds or thousands of dolla