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Article • July 15, 2025 • from PLN July, 2025
Kentucky Supreme Court Voids Prisoner’s $10,972 Jail Fee by David Reutter Striking a rare blow for fairness, the Supreme Court of Kentucky issued a ruling on February 25, 2025, reversing the imposition of $10,972 in jail fees upon Dillian Ford at his criminal sentencing in Carlisle County Circuit Court. Because …
Article • March 1, 2025 • from PLN March, 2025
Pennsylvania County Forgives $65 Million in Jail Pay-to-Stay Fees by Commissioners of Pennsylvania’s Dauphin County voted on September 19, 2024, to forgive $65,902,534.98 in debt owed by former detainees at the county lockup for unpaid fees they were charged during their incarceration. Such “pay to stay” fees have ballooned over …
Article • May 1, 2024 • from PLN May, 2024
Washington Superior Court Says Jail Cannot Bill Poor Detainees for Medical Care by by Douglas Ankney On April 17, 2023, Judge Kevin S. Naught of Washington’s Yakima County Superior Court ruled that Kittitas County Corrections Center (KCCC) was in violation of state law when it held detainees responsible for repaying …
Article • September 15, 2023 • from PLN September, 2023
Former Connecticut Prisoner’s Challenge Proceeds Against “Pay-to-Stay” Fees by According to an analysis published by the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice on April 19, 2023, the cost of locking up America’s two million prisoners and detainees exceeds government agencies’ ability to afford it. With the help of tough-on-crime lawmakers, that …
Kentucky Supreme Court Rules ‘Incarceration Fees’ May Not Be Collected After Charges Are Dismissed by Casey Bastian by Casey J. Bastian On October 28, 2021, the Supreme Court of Kentucky unanimously ruled that when criminal charges are dismissed, a detainee then released is not required to pay costs associated with …
Article • December 1, 2020 • from PLN December, 2020
California First State to Eliminate Post-Prison Fees by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins California became the first state in the nation to roll back laws that allowed for the collection of fees and fines from people released from prison or jails. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Families Over Fees Act …
Article • January 9, 2020 • from PLN January, 2020
Missouri County Votes to Eliminate Jail Fees, Wiping Out $3.4 Million in Debt for Former Prisoners by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney In August 2019, a half-dozen 10-year-old jail fees were eliminated by the county council in St. Louis, Missouri, wiping out nearly $3.4 million in debt for unpaid fees …
Article • April 2, 2019 • from PLN April, 2019
Colorado: $190,000 Settlement for Prisoners Ordered Released but Kept in Jail for Inability to Pay $55 Fee by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke  El Paso County, Colorado has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who remained in jail for 27 days because she was unable to pay …
Georgia Advocacy Office v. Jackson, GA, Complaint, Jail Conditions for Mentally Ill Prisoners, 2019 Case 1:19-cv-01634-WMR-JFK Document 1 Filed 04/10/19 Page 1 of 88 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA ATLANTA DIVISION GEORGIA ADVOCACY OFFICE; M.J.; K.H., on behalf of themselves and others similarly …
Article • December 5, 2018 • from PLN December, 2018
Wealthy? Upgrade to a First Class Criminal Justice Experience! by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis They say money can’t buy happiness, and more money just leads to more problems. But when it comes to the criminal justice system, wealth can get an accused murderer out on bail, a celebrity a …
Article • September 3, 2018 • from PLN September, 2018
Minnesota Prisoner Wins Reprieve from Jail Debt in Federal Court by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon Erik Daniel Christianson spent time in the Martin County jail in Minnesota on four occasions between 2013 and 2014. Under state “pay for stay” laws, prisoners are required to pay $25 for each day …
Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Oklahoma Sheriffs – All of Them by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna A federal lawsuit was filed in November 2017 against every sheriff in the state of Oklahoma, along with judges, court officials and the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association, challenging a scheme that turned unpaid court fees …
Article • November 30, 2017
Michigan Court Forced to End “Pay or Stay” Policy by David Reutter by David Reutter A Michigan state district court judge was ordered to end a “pay or stay” policy that he used to toss poor defendants in jail for their inability to pay fines, fees and court costs. The …
Article • November 7, 2017 • from PLN November, 2017
Filed under: Jail Specific, Booking Fees
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case on Jail Booking Fees by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to rule on the issue of jail “booking fees” – fees charged when arrestees are jailed, which are not always returned upon their release. The case involved a …
Article • November 7, 2017 • from PLN November, 2017
Michigan Court Forced to End “Pay or Stay” Policy by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A Michigan state district court judge was ordered to end a “pay or stay” policy that he used to toss poor defendants in jail for their inability to pay fines, fees and court costs.  …
Paying for Your Time: How Charging Inmates Fees Behind Bars May Violate the Excessive Fines Clause by Lauren-Brooke Eisen by Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law Introduction In 1846, the United States saw the birth of the first correctional fee law when Michigan enacted legislation authorizing counties to charge …
Report Finds Charging Criminal Justice Fees Perpetuates Mass Incarceration by Matthew Clarke The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s School of Law released a report in May 2015 titled, “Charging Inmates Perpetuates Mass Incarceration.” Mass incarceration refers to the fact that the United States, which has around 5% …
Charging the Poor - Criminal Justice Debt & Modern-Day Debtors' Prisons, Sobol, 2016 Legal Studies Research Paper Series Research Paper No. 16–09 Charging the Poor: Criminal Justice Debt & Modern-Day Debtors' Prisons Neil L. Sobol This paper can be downloaded without charge from the Social Science Research Network Electronic Paper …
Report Finds Criminal Justice System Financially Overburdens Prisoners and Their Families by Christopher Zoukis The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a nonprofit focused on racial and economic policy, in conjunction with Forward Together and a dozen other community and civil rights organizations recently released a study which surveyed hardships …
Cost of Incarceration Assessment Handcuff Poor Releasees by David Reutter The imposition of cost of incarceration fees upon released prisoners is a “permanent financial sentence” that overwhelms those trying to successfully integrate into society. Fees for room and board are authorized in at least 43 states.  “We’re seeing it all …
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