The boys drink and review Midnight Lager by Stella Artois, then discuss the disproportionate impact of fines on the poor.
A fine that is a nuisance for your average person can push a poor person into a spiral that results in prison — the so-called “ticket to prison pipeline.” What’s the right reaction to that? A judge recently proposed that the poor should be exempt from some fines. Is that the right answer? P&C don’t think so.
Maybe I’ll get a chance to listen… before that, I’ll tell you what happens in Tulsa.
About twice a year, the Tulsa sheriff office does a “crackdown” on crime. I laugh, because they mention it on the TV and I’ve gone and looked at the arrest record because every day the Tulsa jail publishes their “blotter” which shows mug shots and details of people’s arrests. Now, they have the good sense to hid some PII, but previously this had info like birthdate. Anyways…
Anyways… their “crackdown” looks like this: They send patrol cars to 61st and Peoria on the east side of the river, and they send other patrol cars to 61st and Union on the west side of the river. The locations are not accidents. In both those locations (and also 64th and Peoria, about .3 mile south of 64th and Peoria), are public/section 8 housing. Who lives in that housing? Poor people.
So they send officers and just start making traffic stops. They ask for IDs and then they run the ID in the computer, and wow, lo and behold, a poor person didn’t pay all their court costs. So, they arrest the person, they go to jail, get more court costs heaped upon them, they get released if it’s a minor infraction, and then in 6 months we repeat the cycle. Who would imagine that a person who can’t even make normal rent might not pay all their court costs? Some of these costs would be from people arrested from using drugs including MJ. The MJ offense could be from years ago…before it was all but legalized here. Oh, it’s not “recreational” in OK. But, you can use it if you have an RX. What does it take to get an RX? You have to go to a doctor and give a reason… like “stress”. Who doesn’t have stress? … if you’re alive??? Imagine being trapped in this cycle for an offense that is all but legal now?
Most of the people they arrest in these sweeps? I’d estimate about 70 percent are women.
When I observe stuff like this going on, it doesn’t make me feel too good about law enforcement or the system.
Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that they decide the location for these sweeps based on crime statistics. IOW, they go where they know they’re likely to catch people committing a crime. Let’s also say that those areas are poor areas. Now — were they targeting crime, or were they targeting the poor?
I think the system is very hard on the poor, but I don’t know enough to say if it’s rigged against the poor. I certainly hope not. That would be a horrible thing. Still, I’m certain there are plenty of areas that could be reformed to make it easier on people. For example, I think courts should be open longer so people who work 9-5 can go without taking a day off.
From some small experience I’ve had with courts, I think public defenders are the best resource for ideas about how to reform the system.