Traffic Tickets Shouldn't Ruin Anyone's Life - Demand Alternatives for Those Who Can't Pay!
This week, "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver brought to light a terrifying trend with low-income individuals finding themselves trapped in modern-day debtors' prisons due to their inability to pay fines for common traffic and municipal violations. This is a pervasive issue across the country. Municipal violations need to stop being the cause of lives being ruined.
In one recent incident, a teenager named Kevin Thompson, who works in an auto shop, was unable to pay an $810 traffic ticket. Instead of offering him a community service alternative, the court placed him in jail for five days, on the recommendation of a for-profit probation company called Judicial Correction Services (JCS).
Harshly punishing low-income individuals simply for their lack of financial privilege is horribly unjust, and places their jobs in jeopardy. This sends them on a downward spiral, and their reputations and finances may never recover. Meanwhile, private probation companies unapologetically benefit from their misfortune.
It's true that people should face consequences for breaking rules, but if they can't pay money, they should be able to pay in a different way, such as community service. Please sign the petition to urge Congress to pass legislation to offer alternatives to fines for low-income individuals!
We, the undersigned, are concerned that low-income individuals are finding themselves trapped in modern-day debtors' prisons due to their inability to pay fines for common traffic and municipal violations. In one recent incident, a teenager named Kevin Thompson, who works in an auto shop, was unable to pay an $810 traffic ticket. Instead of offering him a community service alternative, the court placed him in jail for five days, on the recommendation of a for-profit probation company called Judicial Correction Services (JCS).
As you know, a high-income or privileged person could have paid the traffic ticket with no problems or other consequences. Harshly punishing low-income individuals simply for their lack of financial privilege is not just, and places their jobs in jeopardy. This sends them on a downward spiral, and their reputations and finances may never recover. Meanwhile, private probation companies benefit from their misfortune.
It's true that people should face consequences for breaking rules, but if they can't pay money, we believe they should be able to pay in a different way, such as community service. We respectfully urge you to pass legislation to offer alternatives to fines for low-income individuals. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
