In at least 1,000 courts in more than a dozen states, people convicted of misdemeanors, and sometimes even traffic infractions, often face a difficult reality if they’re poor and unable to pay fines and court costs on the spot. They are placed under the supervision of for-profit probation companies where they may find themselves snared in a cycle of growing debt and punishment. The practice has spurred many lawsuits on behalf of people who, unable to pay, struggle to stay out of jail. Here are four of their stories:
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When Fred Robinson was convicted of two misdemeanor marijuana charges in 2011 – but was unable to pay $2,500 in fines and court costs – a judge placed him on 11 months and 29 days of probation. More than four years later, Robinson is still trying to get out from under.
“I can’t afford my medicine to stay healthy and stay out of here,” he says, sitting up in bed at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, during a recent stay for difficulty breathing. “And they’ve still got me on this thing for non-payment.”
Robinson, 31, used to work in the kitchen at a chain restaurant. For years, he has struggled with health problems, including ulcerative colitis and cirrhosis, which eventually forced him to quit. He depends on a $750 monthly disability check and gave up his apartment to move in with his sister.