Advocates Say Excessive Fines Cause Cycle Of Incarceration

<p>Advocates for criminal justice reform are calling for changes to the fees and fines Oklahomans pay when they enter the system.&nbsp;</p>

Wednesday, February 1st 2017, 6:39 pm



Advocates for criminal justice reform are calling for changes to the fees and fines Oklahomans pay when they enter the system.

Advocates say the system creates a cycle that low-income Oklahomans can’t break. They’re jailed and fined for crimes, they can’t pay those fines, and so they wind up in back in jail.

Jamie Hood, of Oklahoma City, is recovering from her addiction to meth; an addiction that led her to dealing drugs and stealing to support her habit.  

She’s clean now, but she faces thousands of dollars in fines that she just can’t afford.

"So I donate plasma twice a week, and that's how I pay back the court system," Hood said.

Advocates say the system just doesn’t work.

"The very idea of penalizing someone because of their economic status is simply unacceptable," said Rep. George Young, D-District 99.

"When they can't pay they are often arrested, taken to jail, and counties off and spend more to incarcerate people, not to mention arrest them and adjudicate them,  then they end up collecting from them," Ryan Gentzler, of OKPolicy.org, said.

There are several bills filed to reduce the fees low income convicts have to pay. Young is pitching legislation to make it more difficult to jail people who legitimately can’t pay their fines.  

"Damn, right,” Young said. “I'm asking you to make a fundamental change to the criminal justice system."

Hood said she understands some people will say, "if you can’t pay the fine, don’t do the crime."  

"That's like saying if you can't pay for your water don't shower. When you're in the middle of it that's not your thoughts, and I did my time," Hood said. "Paying a fine doesn't keep me from not committing a crime."

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

February 1st, 2017

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024