what i'm thinking about
This NPR report: As Court Fees Rise, The Poor are Paying the Price. Both audio from All Things Considered and text at the link. Some highlights:
- In at least 43 states and the District of Columbia, defendants can be billed for a public defender.
- In at least 41 states, inmates can be charged room and board for jail and prison stays.
- In at least 44 states, offenders can get billed for their own probation and parole supervision.
- And in all states except Hawaii, and the District of Columbia, there's a fee for the electronic monitoring devices defendants and offenders are ordered to wear.
"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."
--part of the Miranda warning, gleaned from years of Law and Order episodes, and showing my age, Dragnet.
How do we square that circle, the charges listed above and the provision of legal aid? Well, it apparently depends on your definition of 'cannot' and 'afford'. And indigent. And 'right'.
I'm a squishy sort of person, more so as I grow older and comes to grips with my own failures and faults. But I'm also a pragmatist. I believe there's a lot more stupid and unlucky people than evil ones. Once you set a foot wrong, all the incentives in our system seem to direct minor criminals back to crime. Convict someone, jail them, charge them for the justice done to them, pile on more fees and late payment penalties, convict them for non-payment, jail them, charge them for the justice done to them...this is a truly stupid circle.
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