Lessons Learned from Ferguson: Ending Abusive Collection of Criminal Justice Debt

15 University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class 293 (2015)

Texas A&M University School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 16-39

19 Pages Posted: 7 Mar 2016 Last revised: 24 Sep 2016

See all articles by Neil L. Sobol

Neil L. Sobol

Texas A&M University School of Law

Date Written: March 5, 2016

Abstract

On March 4, 2015, the Department of Justice released its scathing report of the Ferguson Police Department calling for “an entire reorientation of law enforcement in Ferguson” and demanding that Ferguson “replace revenue-driven policing with a system grounded in the principles of community policing and police legitimacy, in which people are equally protected and treated with compassion, regardless of race.” Unfortunately, abusive collection of criminal justice debt is not limited to Ferguson. This Article, prepared for a discussion group at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools conference in July 2015, identifies the key findings in the Department of Justice’s report and discusses the major points to be learned from the allegations in Ferguson. The lessons learned from Ferguson should be a guide to other municipalities that are or may be on the brink of developing similar abusive collection practices.

Keywords: Ferguson,fines,arrest,police stops,debtors' prisons,criminal law,poverty law,social justice,equal protection,discrimination,imprisonment,jail,prison,probation,indigency,debt collection,consumer protection,decriminalization,mass incarceration,day-fines

JEL Classification: D18, I30, I31, J70, J71, J78, K14, K42

Suggested Citation

Sobol, Neil, Lessons Learned from Ferguson: Ending Abusive Collection of Criminal Justice Debt (March 5, 2016). 15 University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class 293 (2015), Texas A&M University School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 16-39, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2742726

Neil Sobol (Contact Author)

Texas A&M University School of Law ( email )

1515 Commerce St.
Fort Worth, TX Tarrant County 76102
United States
8172124055 (Phone)

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