Kansas Criminal Justice Fees and Fines Trap People in Poverty
Kansas criminal justice reform advocates say that the fines and fees commonly used to punish offenders and fund the court system mostly just make it harder for people to get their lives on track. They want lawmakers to consider dumping them to help people escape from cycles of poverty and crime that tend to land people back in jail.
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Kansas criminal justice reform advocates say that the fines and fees commonly used to punish offenders and fund the court system mostly just make it harder for people to get their lives on track. They argue lawmakers should dump them if they want people to escape from cycles of poverty and crime that tend to land people back in jail, reports KCUR. A survey by the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice found that 38 percent of the almost 1,000 people it talked to turned to crime to be able to pay off their court debts. Others surveyed gave up essentials like groceries to make payments or took out loans. Unpaid costs in Kansas could also cause someone to lose their driver’s license, which makes it harder for them to get to work.
In Kansas, fees for court-appointed attorneys and getting past convictions expunged can cost hundreds of dollars. Law enforcement representatives argue that fines are one of the most reasonable tools in dissuading someone from committing a crime and that without them people are less likely to follow the law, but acknowledge that fines hit people differently based on their incomes and suggest courts adjust monetary penalties so they aren’t too onerous to low-income people. Some fees can, and regularly are, waived when someone is unable to pay. Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert has proposed shifting away from fees, urging lawmakers to pass legislation that would send fees to the state’s general fund rather than direct them just to the court system.
