Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds DOJ Actions on Abusive Court Fines and Fees

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement applauding the Department of Justice for condemning profit-minded court practices that keep low-income people locked in a cycle of fines and imprisonment. The Department of Justice sent a letter to chief judges and court administrators outlining its position and announced a package of resources and a competitive grant program to help state and local efforts to reform harmful practices related to the assessment and enforcement of fines and fees:

“We applaud the Department of Justice, Attorney General Lynch, and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta for taking a strong stance against unjust court practices and fines for petty offenses that target and trap low-income people in a cycle of mounting debt and unnecessary incarceration.

Policies that essentially criminalize poverty are not only unconstitutional, they perpetuate poverty and exacerbate the existing disparities and inequalities within our justice system. As a Justice Department investigation revealed in Ferguson last year, these practices disproportionately harm African Americans and other people of color.

We urge municipalities to work with the Department of Justice to reform such policies and work toward a justice system that guarantees equal protection under the law for all, regardless of race or class.”

Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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