MissSpecified

Is the interest rate also paired with policies that state that a person's term on probation/parole cannot be completed until the fines are all paid off?

It seems likely, though, that the trend to incarcerate fewer people could lead to an increase in "community supervision," which still has associated fees and costs. We may see the CJ system spending less on incarceration but more on GPS monitoring, drug testing, probation and parole officers, etc. It would likely still be cheaper than incarcerating someone, but it could have just as many associated costs for the offender.

In the course of your investigation, did you find that most of the fees went to court administration costs, or to contracted third parties (i.e., GPS monitoring services run by for-profit companies)? Do you see a relationship between these required fees and payments and the privatization of the corrections industry?

Welcome! Thanks for doing this AMA.

I haven't checked out your series yet (though I'm looking forward to doing so), so my apologies if you have already addressed this topic: Does your series explore the way that gender may shape peoples' experiences with managing the financial costs of involvement with the criminal justice system? I have been involved in some research on women offenders, and they often face very different and gendered difficulties. For example, many of them are responsible for minor children, so they face the added expense of finding childcare during the times they must report to their POs. The added expenses for their children can delay women's payment of the court fines and fees, which could keep them on probation/parole for longer periods of time. Did you encounter any of this stuff in your investigations?

Excellent reporting, thank you! This just illustrates one more way that an individual can be deprived of his/her liberty because of inability to pay. It doesn't necessarily have to be by being incarcerated - being stuck on supervision because of inability to pay off the fees and fines is still a serious burden.