On average, incarcerated people are released owing $13,607 in court fines and fees, not including bail debt. Entire communities suffer as a result
On October 6th, my collaborators and I mailed letters to over 20,000 people living in Mississippi and Florida. Each letter opened with the following:
Jubilant Greetings! We are writing to you with good news: We just got rid of some of your private probation debt!… You no longer owe the balance of this particular debt. It is gone, a gift with no strings attached.
Across the country, courts have outsourced probation to private companies who charge fees for their “services.” With very little oversight, these companies often act like abusive debt collectors while those unable to pay run the risk of imprisonment. This system discriminates against low-income communities and communities of color and imposes the greatest financial burden on those who are the least able to afford to pay. No one should go to jail because they are unable to pay a private probation fee.
Astra Taylor is the author of Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone, and an organizer with the Debt Collective
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