skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Court Fines Out of Reach for Indiana's Young People

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 13, 2016   

INDIANAPOLIS – When a young person is unable to pay court-related costs, he or she can face what's known as "debtors' prison," a practice a new report says can pull them deeper into the juvenile-justice system. In South Dakota, these fees and fines can include the cost of food, clothing, shelter, supervision and court operations. According to the Juvenile Law Center findings, when a family can't pay up, a young person can be placed in a secure facility or have their probation extended.

Associate director at the center Jessica Feierman called it a punishment for being poor.

"We're creating two separate systems of justice," she said. "This is really a glaring example of justice by income. We really can do better. We can set a system that's fair to all young people, not just the ones who have access to money."

The report recommends that states eliminate costs, fines and fees by establishing more sustainable and effective models for funding court systems.

Feierman said excessive court costs put families in highly stressful situations where they face difficult choices.

"Should I pay for my one child's school uniform or my other child's court fees? Is it worth going into debt so that I can pay off these fees? That's a strain on a family that's not going to help either the child or the family. We're just deepening the cycle of poverty," she added.

The report also noted that South Dakota is one of 12 states that allows judges to impose court costs and fees on juveniles.

And research shows young people of color are more likely to have unpaid justice system costs than their white peers.

"We know there's a problem nationally with racial disparities in the juvenile-justice system," she said. "This gives us one very concrete policy change that we could make to try to turn that around."

The full report can be found here.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021